By Jennifer Upshaw
Marin Independent Journal
Copyright 2007 Marin Independent Journal, a MediaNews Group publication
All Rights Reserved
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — The San Rafael City Council is expected to hike the city’s paramedic tax Monday.
The 6.8 percent increase to the tax means property owners will pay $75 per household, or nine cents per square foot for commercial buildings. The increase was spurred by higher personnel expenses and the cost of medical supplies associated with the $4.9 million program.
“I think what the tax does is it ensures the delivery of emergency medical services from our fire department,” City Manager Ken Nordhoff said. “We know we have well-trained constant levels of paramedics every day that respond to the emergencies our communities expect us to respond to.
“The tax that the voters trust us with allows us to do that,” he said.
Last year, voters approved a plan to raise the tax cap from $61 per household to $85 per residential unit. The commercial cap went up from eight cents to 11 cents per square foot.
In addition to serving the city and unincorporated areas, the San Rafael Fire Department provides paramedic service in Marinwood, Upper Lucas Valley and Santa Venetia. In all, 27,417 households are served, fire officials said.
The program, which allocates money in four-year cycles through the tax for paramedic services, is designed to pay for itself, but the city bumped up against the cap two years ago and had to dip into the general fund to make up the difference. The city has spend $450,000 in the last year and a half to make ends meet, fire officials said.
No general fund money is expected this time, although the program could still fall short, Fire Chief John Montenero said. The program is subsidized through the estimated $3.2 million from the tax and $1.7 million from third-party billing, a practice in which the city bills insurance companies for ambulance rides.
“It is not an unlimited source. We have to be so careful that were using it wisely,” Montenero said. “It’s become a vital, vital service to the public.
“In my personal opinion, it’s worth every penny.”