Committee approves $115,000 transfer to cover fire equipment and new BLS ambulance costs

The Everett City Ways and Means Committee voted Feb. 22 to approve a $115,000 appropriation from free cash to cover fire department equipment maintenance and operating costs for the city’s new basic life support (BLS) ambulance service.

Interim Fire Chief Joseph Hickey told the committee the funding — $50,000 for equipment maintenance and $65,000 for BLS operations — is intended to address repairs on an aging apparatus fleet and to cover outstanding costs incurred since the ambulance began operating in September 2023. “We do have an aging fleet, and … this amount seems to be appropriate to get us through at least the end of the year,” Hickey said.

Eric Demas, the city’s chief financial officer, said the city has collected about $52,000 in ambulance fees so far but has already incurred more than $32,000 in related charges. Demas said there is a timing lag between when expenses occur and when billing revenue is collected: “We’ve collected 52, but we’ve already incurred over 32,” he said, adding that the department requested the funds as a precaution while revenue streams stabilize.

The committee heard that the city uses ComStar for third‑party billing and has an ALS intercept agreement with Cataldo Ambulance for cases requiring advanced life support. Cataldo is paid a $500 intercept fee when it supplies ALS support; Hickey said the city bills a higher ALS‑level rate when Cataldo is involved and the $500 intercept fee is paid from that increased charge.

Demas noted that ambulance fees are being set aside in a special revenue fund and that the council previously authorized up to $250,000 a year to cover ambulance‑related costs. He said the administration expects to return during the FY25 budget process to revisit the special revenue limits if ambulance revenues increase.

A motion for favorable action on the appropriation carried on a committee voice vote. The committee also excused the guests after the discussion.