Edmond residents can opt out of program
Ambulance service membership
BY DIANA BALDWIN
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Published: October 28, 2009
EDMOND — People have until noon Saturday to opt out of the city’s new program to charge a $3 monthly fee on the utility bills for ambulance service.
The monthly fee provides a membership in
Emergency Medical Services Authority’s TotalCare program and begins Sunday.
Customers can opt out by calling the city’s utilities customer service at 359-4541. If a customer does not opt out by Saturday’s deadline, they will have to wait until next October to opt out, city officials said.
It will not be necessary to opt out each year. The customer’s request will carry forward each year unless the customer contacts the utilities department in October to change a decision to participate.
Edmond is joining a number of other cities, including
Oklahoma City and
Tulsa, which charge monthly fees for ambulance services. It costs $1,100 for each emergency transport.
Oklahoma City’s program began this month. Their customers are charged a $3.65 monthly charge.
Tulsa was the first city in the state to start such a program two years ago.
The advantage is that officials don’t have to come up with money from the general fund to pay the city’s annual subsidy for ambulance service for its residents.
Edmond would have saved $677,379 in the general fund this fiscal year if the monthly fee program was in place,
City Manager Larry Stevens said.
For more information, go to www.edmondok.com.
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