The Town of Zionsville has adjusted its fee schedule for emergency fees payable to the police and fire departments.
The changes were introduced in August and passed by the town council Sept. 3. The fees are specifically for those who use the services, not a fee passed on to all constituents.
Zionsville Fire Dept. Chief James VanGorder said the most substantive changes were to emergency service fees, particularly ambulance services.
“These fees have not been considered for increase for seven years,” VanGorder said. “While on paper they appear to be substantial increases, again, they have not gone up for seven years. We shared with council members a spreadsheet showing local areas, and all of these changes bring us from the bottom to (right around the) midpoint of all the fees that are being charged by ambulance service providers within the central Indiana area.”
Increases include costs for basic life support, or BLS, and advanced life support, or ALS
New fees include:
- BLS emergency/resident — $810
- BLS emergency/nonresident — $1,200
- ALS emergency/resident — $1,005
- ALS emergency/nonresident — $1,400
- ALS2 emergency/resident — $1,250
- ALS2 emergency/nonresident — $1,650
- No transport/resident — $400
- No transport/nonresident — $400
- Mileage/resident — $18/loaded mile
- Mileage/nonresident — $18/loaded mile
Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, an annual 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment will be added to the fire department’s rates and charges. The increase will be added automatically unless an amendment is made by the council. Council members said in the future they want to review the fee schedule annually, rather than waiting several years resulting in large increases.
“The fire department does not charge unless we administer (assistance) at a house or we transport a patient to a hospital,” VanGorder said.
The fire department also will offer CPR classes at varying levels, an explorer program and first aid training kits.
The fee schedule also includes police fees, including a $50 two-year golf cart registration fee and $12 for accident reports.
Fees also were set for meeting room use; sprinkler and fire alarm inspections; planning and building department permits and fees; and public works engineering inspection fees.
The council approved the new fees unanimously.
View the full fee schedule at tinyurl.com/ycxtvd5e.
