Boyceville ambulance board decides to continue with run volume and per capita for calculating assessments
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
BOYCEVILLE — The Boyceville Community Ambulance District Board has decided to continue calculating assessments to the member municipalities by a combination of run volume and per capita.
If the assessments were calculated strictly on a per capita basis, the per capita would be $80.79, said Wayne Dow, ambulance service director, at the Boyceville ambulance district’s July 13 meeting.
The per capita fee would be based on a population of 4,316 in the member municipalities and the need for $348,710 in revenue for the ambulance district.
The assessments for 2022 are based on a three-year average for runs at $1,355.90 per call and $34.09 per capita.
According to information Dow provided to the ambulance district board, the Town of Hay River has a population of 565, with a three-year average call volume of 16, for a total assessment of $49,955 for 2022.
The Town of New Haven has a population of 607, with a three-year average call volume of 15.33, for a total assessment of $41,483 for 2022.
The Town of Sheridan has a population of 159 in the ambulance district, with a three-year average call volume of 3.67, for a total assessment of $10,392 for 2022.
The Town of Sherman has a population of 475, with a three-year average call volume of 10.67, for a total assessment of $30,656 for 2022.
The Town of Stanton has a population of 805, with a three-year average call volume of 15,67, for a total assessment of $48,685 for 2022.
The Town of Tiffany has a population of 619, with a three-year average call volume of 17, for a total assessment of $44,152 for 2022.
The Village of Boyceville has a population of 1,086, with a three-year call volume of 70.33, for a total assessment of $132,387 for 2022.
The Village of Boyceville has 25 percent of the population but has 50 percent of the calls, Dow noted.
If the assessments were based on straight per capita, all of the other municipalities would have an increased assessment while the Village of Boyceville’s assessment would decrease, he said.
According to information Dow provided to the ambulance district board, under a straight per capita, the Town of Hay River’s assessment would increase by $4,694 for 2022.
The Town of New Haven’s assessment would increase by $7,559 for 2022.
The Town of Sheridan’s assessment would increase by $2,454 for 2022.
The Town of Sherman’s assessment would increase by $7,721for 2022 .
The Town of Stanton’s assessment would increase by $16,355for 2022 .
The Town of Tiffany’s assessment would increase by $5,860 for 2022 .
The Village of Boyceville’s assessment would decrease by $44,644 for 2022.
2023
Based on information Dow provided to the ambulance district board, using a three-year average run volume and per capita, some municipalities would see an increase in their assessment for 2023, based on the assumption of needing $348,715 in revenue, and some would see a decrease.
The Town of Hay River would increase by $1,941 for 2023.
The Town of New Haven would decrease by $269.
The Town of Sheridan would decrease by $913.
The Town of Sherman would increase by $3,320.
The Town of Stanton would decrease by $1,735.
The Town of Tiffany would decrease by $5,391.
The Village of Boyceville would increase by $3,048.
Based on a straight per capita for 2023, all of the municipalities would increase, except the Village of Boyceville.
The Town of Hay River assessment would increase by $4,444.
The Town of New Haven would increase by $7,639.
The Town of Sheridan would increase by $2,637.
The Town of Sherman would increase by $7,784.
The Town of Stanton would increase by $16,460.
The Town of Tiffany would increase by $5,537.
The Village of Boyceville would decrease by $44,501.
What to do?
The numbers could be adjusted for the per capita and call volume, Dow said.
A $1 addition in per capita results in a reduction in the standby charge of $27.88, he said.
Most ambulance services go by per capita, and Boyceville is an exception, said Peter Score, representative for the Town of Sheridan and chair of the ambulance district board.
A straight per capita would result in more stability for municipality budgeting purposes, he said.
The board should discuss this now so that Dow knows how to go forward with a budget for 2023, Score said.
Board members agreed that the unknown variable from year to year is the three-year average call volume. Populations may fluctuate somewhat as well.
There is no perfect system, but overall, a combination of run volume and per capita does a good job of balancing out the assessments over time, Dow said.
The Boyceville Community Ambulance District Board agreed to continue “as is,” using a combination of run volume and per capita.
Report
So far this year, Boyceville ambulance has had 143 runs, Dow said.
Since the last meeting of the board in June, Boyceville has had nine transports, three of the runs have been for stand-by, four calls resulted in a refusal of service, and one call was taken by Glenwood City, he said.
Two people have been on duty for 66.1 percent of the time, and one person has been on duty for 33.9 percent of time, Dow said.
Boyceville ambulance was not out of service in June, he said.
So far in July, two people have been on duty 86.7 percent of the time, and one person has been on duty 13.3 percent of the time, Dow said, noting that so far in July, Boyceville ambulance has not been out of service.
The roster has seven EMTs, which includes one who is an advanced EMT, four paramedics and one Emergency Medical Responder, he said.
Two people are finishing the EMR class and will be eligible to take the certification test. Two are waiting to take the EMT certification test, and two are waiting to take the EMR certification test, Dow said.
One of the prospective EMTs is 67 years old, had liked the EMR class and then took an accelerated EMT class, he said.
“They are all good people. There’s just not enough of them,” Dow said.
Chuck Siler, representative for the Town of Tiffany, asked if going to the flex EMT designation for the Boyceville ambulance service was helping.
Dow said he had not yet processed the paperwork with the state because he was waiting for the minutes to be approved from the last meeting when the Boyceville ambulance district board had approved downgrading from advanced EMT service to a flex EMT service.
The Boyceville Community Ambulance District Board meets next on August 10 at 7 p.m. at the Boyceville Village Hall on Charlotte Street.
