Newport Beach : Paramedic Fees Short of Estimates

A three-month-old program that charges fees for the use of paramedics has not generated as much revenue as Newport Beach officials had hoped, according to a city report.

In an effort to raise $800,000 for city coffers, the city began charging a user fee and offering a subscription for paramedic service on July 1. But the program so far has generated only $159,500 in one-year subscriptions and an estimated $89,000 in user-fee revenue, according to a report by Fire Chief Timothy D. Riley.

Overall, Riley estimated, the program could fall about $300,000 short of the $800,000 projection.

“We did a very good job of marketing the program,” said Vickie Cleary, a registered nurse who coordinates emergency medical services for the city. “But the economy is bad and tax revenues are not what they used to be . . . and we have a voluntary (subscription) program.”

Cleary said the program was designed to deflect the costs of paramedic service from city taxpayers to those who use the service most, 50% of whom are from out of town and are injured while visiting Newport Beach. When the city was more prosperous, the cost of paramedic service was paid from the municipal budget.

The city now charges a person up to $250 each time a paramedic is called.

To avoid those use-fee charges, residents can buy a $42 subscription to cover their household for paramedic service for a year. Thus far, only 3,799 households and businesses have enrolled for 1993-94 fiscal year, far below the projected 12,447 subscriptions, Riley said in his report.

The City Council next week is expected to discuss the issue, but Cleary said she expects the program to remain unchanged. “We are still getting in a lot of membership applications,” she said. “And without the fees, we would have to cut services.”

The city’s paramedics are stationed at two fire stations, and 70% of their calls are for emergency medical assistance, according to Riley. The city’s two ambulances are staffed by a total of 16 firefighters with paramedic training.

Nine other cities in Orange County, including Anaheim and Huntington Beach, have a similar program.