Higher ambulance fees would mean less property tax bite in Palatine
A proposal for higher ambulance fees in Palatine would result in a property tax increase with less of a bite than originally expected next year, according to a village council presentation Monday night.
Palatine would receive about an extra $100,000 from the higher ambulance charges, Village Manager Reid Ottesen said. That added revenue would result in a property tax levy of 3.82 percent instead of 4.26 percent, he said.
An owner of a $400,000 market value home would pay an extra $37 to the village in 2018 if the 3.82 percent property tax levy hike were to gain final approval next month. A village estimate shows an owner of a $219,900 market value home would pay an additional $28 to Palatine.
Palatine would charge $750 for residents and $1,000 for nonresidents who need ambulance service next year. The village currently has escalating fees, with basic life support starting at $446 for residents and $638 for nonresidents.
Ottesen said Palatine's ambulance charges have been "well below" what other suburbs bill. He said Palatine's fees would remain below Arlington Heights' and other towns'.
"I think the important thing to note is that we are billing insurance companies," Ottesen said. "It's not a balance that goes to the residents. This is money that is being paid by the insurance companies, whether they have Medicare, whether they have private-pay insurance."
Palatine has a $117 million budget proposed for 2018. If the 3.82 percent property tax levy increase were approved, Palatine documents say, the extra money would be used exclusively to offset $540,000 in pension costs, "a raiding of local government money by the state" projected to total $300,000 and a new $85,000 fee Springfield will charge to collect taxes.
Village council members are to vote on adoption of the budget and tax levy Monday, Dec. 4. The budget will be effective Jan. 1.
"This budget before you does not kick the can down the road," Ottesen told the village council. "It is a responsible budget."
Officials have said new alternative revenue sources, such as a natural gas usage tax, should be explored. Palatine, for the first time, plans to use reserve funds to meet an expected $917,000 increase in the public safety pension requirements for 2018.