City Council members said this week they will consider increasing Port Angeles Fire Department personnel by adding a second, as-yet-undetermined Medic 1 fee increase to ratepayers’ utility bills in 2017.
Monthly Medic 1 utility fees that are now $6.90 per residential ratepayer will increase 4 percent, or 28 cents — $3.36 a year — in January 2017.
Businesses pay about $7.20 per ratepayer and will increase by about 29 cents per month.
No date has been set for the council to consider a second fee increase.
Fire Chief Ken Dubuc said Wednesday that without a second Medic 1 increase, fire insurance rates for homeowners and business owners will go up or the department budget — and staff — will continue to be burdened by overtime costs.
The second increase would have to pass muster with the city Utility Advisory Committee before being considered by the City Council, Dubuc said.
Dubuc told the City Council at its work session Tuesday that the fee hike was needed to cut overtime for a department staff that has remained at the same level since 1991 but is handling 240 percent more emergency calls since then.