This past week, Paula and I received our monthly bill for the electric service we receive at our house. Since I used to manage some cities that had a Municipal electric utility, I do probably analyze the monthly bill more than most people do. On the bill each month, our utility company bills us $41.75 for what they call an “Availability Charge”. Those of you who have a different electric company, they may use another name, but bottom-line it is a base fee that is charged each month and never changes.
This charge basically gives me the ability to have electricity whenever I want it. I can walk into a “dark” room and reach over and flip the switch on and then there is “light”. This fee gives me the opportunity to have electric energy for my home whenever I want it. For me to have this ability, the electric company has to have distribution lines that bring the electricity to my house and of course they have employees who make sure that energy can be delivered to my home. If you grab the bill you receive from the City for water and wastewater you will find a base fee that again helps to make sure that the proper infrastructure is in place to handle your needs. When you go the faucet you expect water to come out and fill your glass and when you flush the toilet you expect this water to leave your home and head to a wastewater plant to be treated. With electricity or water or even wastewater, we don’t necessarily use these services 24/7, but we all want those services available when we need or want them. To have this ability there is a cost that is charged.
Ok, let’s think of a time when you or someone in your family needs an ambulance to take a person to the hospital in the case of an emergency or if you are in a vehicle accident and you need services to extricate you from the vehicle and take you to the hospital for medical care. When someone dials “911” or when law enforcement makes the call that Emergency Medical Services are needed, we all want an immediate response just as we do each day when you flip on the light switch or turn on the faucet. However, in this case this is much more important as we are now dealing with a life or lives. To have this immediate, fast, and professional response there is a cost involved as well.
I will not argue with you that the cost of Emergency Medical Services is not a cheap or low-cost option. We all know that the City of Junction City provide these services to not only the residents in side of the City limits of this City, but to all of Geary County and has done so for many years. We can say that the agreement that has been in place since 1967 is outdated, but it has served Geary County well. There is no doubt that the service that is provided by the City employees of the Junction City Fire Department are high quality and are the best imaginable. Just like with electric service there is a cost to be “ready” with adequate staffing of qualified, well-trained individuals and equipment that is ready to roll at any given moment. As we look back this past year, not only has there been over 3,500 calls for services, but over 1,100 times when 2 ambulances were on calls at that same time. But we can’t forget the times when 3 or 4 ambulances were all simultaneously in operation. There is a cost and how do we pay for it?
As I said above, the present agreement has been in place a long time. I am sure the manner the costs were calculated have changed, but nothing has changed in recent years, but now there is a desire to lower the amount paid by Geary County. This desire also has come after the City budgets for 2023 and 2024 are in place. There is a cost to operate the high-quality service that is provided, so it boils down should property tax owners in the City pay more if the owners of property in Geary County pay less. Remember that 71.7% of the property tax dollars that Geary County receives come from property inside the City of Junction City.
In recent weeks, there has been accusations that the City has provided “inflated” numbers to the County. As I said last week, I am proud and confident of the costs that the City staff have calculated are adequate and I would challenge anyone to prove that they are not. No, we have not missed any audits as some have said and City staff has provided the data, but it boils down to what costs should be included. There is no disagreement that a new agreement should be negotiated, but let’s “Get Real”, the costs for the services provided are not getting cheaper. However, do we really want less services?
I know some will say that the City of Junction City should not even consider cutting services to the area outside of the City limits, but the City does have the obligation to pay for the costs of services and that cost would then shift to just those who have property in the City. Yes, other services could possibly be found for the remainer of the County, but I would shudder of the costs to those who have property outside of the City and that cost is just shared with about 28% of the tax base that now covers the County obligation. And I will challenge that these services will be much less than the members of the Junction City Fire Department provides now.
As with water and electric energy services, there is a cost to be ready when needed and at any time. I don’t think anyone really desires less Emergency Medical Services, but how is the cost to have that service at any given time paid?