St. Joseph agrees to Medic 1 subsidy increase

JOSEPH — Like neighboring municipalities, the city of St. Joseph has seen an increase in its annual subsidy for Medic 1 Ambulance service.

The St. Joseph City Commission this week approved an 18.6 percent increase to Medic 1 for its 2024-25 fiscal year.

St. Joseph Public Safety Director Steve Neubecker said as it works toward balancing its budget, the ambulance service board has voted to approve an increase to member subsidies, up $1.57 from $6.86 per capita to $8.43 per capita. He said the city’s population used to calculate the subsidy is 7,856.

Neubecker said Medic 1’s increases over the past five years have been less than the rate of inflation, with the city’s payments increasing from $50,037 in 2019-20 to $58,100 in the current year. He said the member subsidies and service contracts provide about 21 percent of Medic 1’s revenue in the new fiscal year, with charges for services and other sources providing the other 79 percent.

Neubecker said the hike in the subsidy will increase the city’s contributions from about $4,491 to $5,518 per month.

He said some of the increase can be covered in the city’s existing budget, but it will be necessary to increase the current year’s budget of $55,500 by $2,600 to cover the Medic 1 subsidy increase.

He said the 2024-25 budget will be prepared based on these numbers.

JULIE SWIDWA HP Staff Writer
Apr 10, 2024

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