Title
Emergency Medical Services, a division of the Chief Administrative Office, recommending the Board adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 128-2026 which finds that the repayment of the Fiscal Year 2025-26 General Fund contribution of $750,000 to County Service Area 3 (CSA 3) for ambulance services would create an economic hardship for the residents of CSA 3 and waives the repayment in whole. (4/5 vote required)
FUNDING: General Fund.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
County Service Area No. 3 was established on January 21, 1963, for the purpose of providing extended services, namely mosquito abatement, via Resolution No. 9-63. On August 10, 1982, the Board of Supervisors amended the authority of CSA 3, through Resolution No. 210-82, to include extended ambulance services to be provided within the unincorporated area of CSA 3. On April 28, 1987, the Board of Supervisors approved Resolution 132-87, extending ambulance services to the incorporated area of CSA 3.
CSA 3 provides ambulance services to South Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe West Shore. Transport and dispatch services for CSA 3 South Shore area are contracted to the California Tahoe Emergency Services Operations Authority (Cal Tahoe JPA). Cal Tahoe JPA has been under contract to provide transport operational services since 2001, and their current contract expires August 31, 2031. Transport and dispatch operational services for the area of Meeks Bay in CSA 3 are contracted to the North Tahoe Fire Protection District. North Tahoe has a current contract that expires June 30, 2029.
CSA 3 ambulance services are funded by a special tax, benefit assessment, and ambulance fees; however, the CSA is currently operating at a deficit and requires additional funding to support ambulance services. The ambulance rate schedule for CSA 3 was last reviewed and updated in 2022, increasing ambulance fees to within the 75th percentile of comparison agencies, including base rates for residents and non-residents (Legi...
Click here for full text