Batavia 2012 budget calls for ambulance tax

Batavia’s proposed 2012 budget calls for charging an ambulance service property tax, in part to handle $115,000 in increased costs caused by the departure of a partner from the Tri-City Ambulance Service.

City finance director Peggy Colby expects the tax, estimated at 4.4 cents on $100 of equalized assessed valuation, would cost the owner of a $225,000 property about $30 a year.

Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District, which used to be St. Charles and Countryside, used to contract with Tri-City Ambulance Service. St. Charles, along with Batavia, Geneva, Batavia Township, Geneva Township and the Batavia and Countryside Fire Protection District, also belonged to Tri-City Ambulance Service.

But in 2010 Fox River and Countryside decided to build its own stations and hire a private firm to supply paramedics and firefighters.

The Tri-City ambulance board decided, when making its budget earlier this year, to keep all five of its ambulances for at least another year. The remaining partners split the cost of the service in a proportion determined by the equalized assessed valuation of each entity.

Total proposed expenditures, including inter-fund transfers, is $105.2 million. That includes spending in the water, wastewater and electrical utilities funds, which are paid for by customers.

The general fund budgets $69.98 million in operating expenses, including $6.8 million to be spent on a downtown streetscape improvement project. The streetscape money is coming out of the downtown tax-increment financing fund, which is supported by taxes from downtown properties.

The budget also includes money for pay increases for nonunion workers.

A public hearing is at 7:35 p.m. Monday at the Batavia Government Center, 100 N. Island Ave. The council will vote on the proposed budget Dec. 5. The fiscal year begins Jan. 1.

A hard copy of the budget is available at the government center. It can also be viewed at cityofbatavia.net.