Council approves ambulance‑billing contract; fire chief says vendor handles complex federal reporting

The Waterloo City Council approved a professional services agreement with Public Consulting Group to handle billing and cost reporting tied to the city’s participation in the ground emergency medical transportation program.

During public comment, resident David Dreyer asked for a plain‑language explanation of the contract. Bill Back, fire chief, told the council the firm "do[es] all the billing for us" and that the city negotiated its price down. He said the city evaluates whether to hire staff to do the work internally or to retain a vendor to balance cost and expertise.

The contract calls for a fee equal to 5 percent of the federal share of reimbursements received for each cost‑reporting cycle under the program, as presented to council. The motion to approve the professional services agreement carried by roll call vote.

The contract will take effect immediately and the fire department will continue to oversee billing operations with the vendor.