CC Minutes - 01/27/09 Joint Elected Officials

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Chief Groves explained there was a base rate and a mileage factor used to calculate the cost of transport. Universal health care would go a long way in solving the problem. Unpaid bills were turned over for collection. Staff tried to work with people to satisfy the obligation before turning accounts over for collection. People could decline service. However, if a person was unconscious, under state law, that was implied consent, and they were treated and transported on the theory they wanted to be saved. Commissioner Handy thanked Councilor Ortiz for understanding the urgency of the situation in the community. He said the County needed to live within its means, and he was hearing that from the community. At the same time, people also wanted services. The County was looking for things to bubble up from the grass roots to bring issues to the BCC and put on the ballot. It was important to work with the state legislature and federal partners. A hospital was needed on the west side of Eugene to deal with transport distances. City services were excellent and should not be compromised. Urban services not going outside of the UGB needed to be looked at. If a countywide district was considered, a tiered structure should be considered to address urban/rural interface. He wanted to know what the impacts of compres- sion related to Ballot Measure 50 would be on other services. Mayor Leiken said Chief Murphy had always encouraged the City Council to talk with him, the IAFF president and the City of Springfield firefighters. This was a unique culture and allowed the council to make educated decisions for the community. He concurred with Commissioner Handy that compression should be considered. He asked what would be the difference between an ambulance authority and a special district. He understood a special district would be a separate entity than the local governments with its own board and administration. Chief Murphy cited the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC) as an example of how a fire service authority could operate through an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with partner agencies. He explained fire service authorities were in place in Washington and California, noting Livermore and Pleasanton, California, which were very similar to Eugene and Springfield, with the exception that their populations were closer in size, was a consolidated agency. The Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department was an unqualified success. Chief Murphy said Lane County had a unique opportunity facing it. Many veteran Fire and EMS personnel were reaching retirement age presenting an opportunity to combine services while not requiring service reductions. While none of the solutions would be easy or fast, he asked the BBC, the City Councils, and Fire Boards to collaborate on developing a solution. He opined he and Chiefs Borland and Groves were dedicated to developing a slate of options for the JEOs to achieve consensus. Mayor Leiken said although the JEOs were talking about costs, the public was demanding highly trained professional paramedics who saved lives on the scene and transported people to the hospital, compared to 30 years ago. Costs continued to rise with training and equipment. He looked forward to continued conversations on Fire and EMS and believed it was a core service. He asserted this issue was about peoples’ lives and the elected officials needed to continue to hammer on the federal delegation. The federal government had been turning its back on the cities for decades. Commissioner Stewart, as a member of the MWMC, concurred with Chief Murphy that there were successful models in place for a fire authority. He hoped all of the elected officials came tonight with an open mind to solve problems for the community. MINUTES—Joint Elected Officials— January 27, 2009 Page 13 Lane Board of County Commissioners, Lane Rural Fire/Rescue Board of Directors and Eu- gene and Springfield City Councils