The Audubon City Council has approved the final reading of an ordinance that will allow the Audubon Fire Department to begin charging fees for service calls. According to Clerk, Joe Foran, all three of the ordinance’s required readings were approved unanimously. He explains how the fees are determined.
Foran says there were two reasons for the implementation of a fee schedule, the first being fairness. The Audubon Fire Department receives a bulk of its funding from the City of Audubon and its taxpayers. However, many of the department’s calls are outside of city limits. Foran notes they do receive contributions from other townships in the county, but they often are barely enough to cover operational expenses. He says this is the other purpose for the fees.
Service charges range from several hundred dollars to several thousand. The council consulted with other fire departments and insurance companies to develop their fee structure. Foran says most people will not see bills in the mail from the City of Audubon or fire department after a call.
The ordinance went into effect on Friday, May 14 following its publication in officially designated print media.
