Council votes down fire response fees

SANDPOINT — The City Council is voting down a plan that would have enabled the fire department to charge service fees when responding to calls outside city limits.

“It’s bad public policy; it’s bad tax policy,” Councilman John Reuter said during the council’s deliberations on Wednesday.

Although the city has mutual-aid agreements with more than a dozen emergency responders in the area, the fire department was proposing the service fees to generate revenue to help pay for capital equipment purchases.

The fees would not be used to cover the department’s operational costs.

The fees ranged from $35 an hour for traffic control to $1,055 for extrication services.

But several Bonner County residents urged the City Council not to adopt the fees.

“I consider this as a stealth tax,” said Cocolalla resident Bill Hutchinson, who also expressed concern that Sandpoint’s fees would induce other agencies to seek fees when they respond outside their bounds.

Others worried the fees would quickly pile up on a landowner or dilute the esprit de corps in the broader emergency responder community.

“Where does it stop?” asked Dover-area resident Eric Skinner, a former sheriff’s deputy. “I feel like we should have a good neighbor policy.”

Fire Chief Robert Tyler was not there to defend the proposal because of a scheduling conflict. He was not immediately available for comment on Thursday and did not respond to a message.

Councilwoman Helen Newton supported fee schedule, noting that city department heads have been asked to think creatively to address their needs in the face of declining revenues and a stagnant economy.

Newton added that the fees were intended to be billed to insurance companies, although Reuter said those costs would undoubtedly be passed down to the consumer.

Councilman Michael Boge said he understood Tyler’s reasoning, but felt that the fee schedule would only grow if it’s implemented.

A vote on the measure ended in a tie, with Newton, Councilman John O’Hara and Councilwoman Carrie Logan in favor. Reuter, Boge and Councilman Stephen Snedden were opposed.

Mayor Gretchen Hellar cast the tie-breaking vote against the fee.

“I will vote ‘no’ for the simple reason that I believe in mutual aid,” she said.