Cal Tahoe JPA wants El Dorado County to pay up

South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Jeff Meston gave a detailed explanation of the 14-year old California Tahoe Emergency Services Operations Authority (Cal Tahoe) during Tuesday's City Council meeting. At the end of it one message was clear: El Dorado County needs to pay up.

In 2001 the City of South Lake Tahoe, Lake Valley Fire Department and North Tahoe Fire Protection District came together to form the Cal Tahoe Joint Powers Authority (Cal Tahoe JPA) in order to provide emergency life support to the area of the County located on the east slope as well as Northern Alpine County. In 2005, the North Shore partner left the JPA since they were initially there just to lend their needed expertise in order for the partnership to get the county's ambulance service contract.

The initial request from the county was for Lake Valley and South Lake Tahoe to each supply one ambulance, but South Lake Tahoe offered an additional one for a total of three ambulances to serve the area.

The contract with the County states that all ambulances serving the JPA area carry the county's logo.

$1,000,000 was initially distributed to each JPA within in the county to be used for emergency services. Today, the money still sits in the county's account. The county can't touch it and they haven't allowed the Cal Tahoe JPA to use it.

The County gets funding from property taxes, special taxes, benefit assessment, ambulance billing and other sources that is to go back to the Cal Tahoe JPA for services provided.

In the original 2001 contract with the county, the JPA would also provide all inter-facility patient transfers which is usually a private ambulance company's bread and butter. The ambulances from the South Shore will take patients off the hill to an appropriate medical facility (whether its need or insurance required). The JPA was supposed to get 93% of revenue from these transfers as well as mileage reimbursement. After the contract was signed, the County altered the portion the JPA gets from these transfers and provides just a flat rate.

What the Cal Tahoe JPA is asking for is to be compensated by El Dorado County for the third ambulance and the past 13 years of subsidy for the extra services. The JPA has provided $13 million dollars in these services, Meston said, $8.58 million from the city's coffers and about $4.5 million from Lake Valley.

During the public speaking portion of the meeting, resident Joni Crawford told the Council, "Please, put all the pressure you can on the County to get the funds our City is entitled to."

According to Chief Meston, the JPA is more than willing, and capable, of continuing ambulance service, they just want to be financially reimbursed for it. The JPA asked their Executive Director to reopen the contract and ask for reimbursement for: full cost of staffing (the JPA added a part time Executive Director and on call attorney), replacing Lifepak monitors (defibrillators), replace depleted reserves, ambulance replacement program and dispatch contract costs.

There are three options now facing the JPA, said Chief Meston. 1) Continue status quo while continuing to deplete the City's reserves, 2) Continue to request full funding from the Board of Supervisors, or 3) the City discontinues ambulance service which would eliminate six employees (but still have paramedics on fire engines).

The City Council said they'd approach the area's County Supervisor, Sue Novasel, about plans to get reimbursed. It would also serve the JPA well to approach District 3's County Supervisor Brian Veerkamp who was the Fire Chief of the El Dorado Hills Fire Department.