Streator seeks to finalize billing, intergovernmental agreements before Oct. 1 ambulance launch

Streator is a little more than two weeks from launching its ambulance service, and the loose ends are being tied.

The Streator City Council will vote on billing at its Wednesday, Sept. 21, meeting, but intergovernmental agreements with neighboring fire protection districts remain in flux.

City Manager David Plyman said fire protection districts in Cornell and Allen Township (Ransom), which also were previously served by Advanced Medical Transport, have chosen to utilize other emergency ambulance services, but Long Point and Reading districts soon will decide. Cornell chose to utilize Pontiac and Allen Township will pair up with Dwight.

Tom Metzke, a trustee and treasurer for the Reading Fire Protection District, told The Times on Wednesday the district has decided it will need more revenue regardless of what decision it makes on emergency ambulance service and will seek a referendum on the April ballot to raise taxes. Metzke said the district plans to have a meeting either Monday or Tuesday before Streator’s council meeting to work out more details as the board decides what to do in the interim. Metzke has been researching the district’s options, including entering into an intergovernmental agreement with Streator or seeing if AMT can continue to provide service, but trustees want to choose a provider that’s best for the district. He said one option after the referendum may be for Reading to have its own emergency ambulance service.

“Finances are our biggest challenge,” Metzke said until the district can pass a referendum, noting Streator’s current proposal may be too cost restrictive to the district.

Plyman said the city will work with the fire protection districts, but will seek to recoup its costs after a referendum.

Plyman said Streator’s ambulance service is not dependent on any of the fire protection districts opting in, however, the city planned on the possibility they would. The council has said the city won’t foot the bill for services for other taxing bodies.

In 2021, AMT responded to 32 Long Point calls and 368 Reading calls. Plyman said he modeled the cost of extending ambulance service to Long Point or Reading based off what Cornell will pay Pontiac for service. Cornell will be paying $485 per call to Pontiac. At that call volume, the city would recoup $194,000 in revenue, along with payments from Medicare, Medicaid and insurance companies for Long Point and Reading calls.

Plyman also included language in an intergovernmental agreement for billing if Streator Fire Department is needed for further assistance on a call.

The City Council will vote at next week’s meeting to approve billing of $1,200 for life support calls and $1,500 for advanced support. The city’s billing contractor Northern Illinois Ambulance Billing, Inc. recommended these amounts. The council also will consider additional rates for if specific equipment and medications are used. Plyman said the city’s service intends to operate as self-supporting as possible, and it will need to generate enough revenue to replace equipment and vehicles in the long-term.

With emergency ambulance service set to launch Oct. 1, the city manager said the city has one of its ambulances parked in the fire station and it is waiting on a second ambulance to arrive, with expectations it will. The city intends to have three ambulances: two ambulances for the front line and one as a back up, Plyman has said.

This winter, AMT asked the city to subsidize its services, causing the City Council to explore other options. The city has since bought its own vehicles and equipment and entered into a personnel agreement with Advanced Medical Response at a cost of of $1,138,000 for 2022-23; $1,114,000 for 2023-24; and $1,148,534 for 2024-25 to operate its own emergency ambulance service. Northern Illinois Ambulance Billing, Inc., of Mendota, will handle the processing of bills, and the revenue will fund the operation.