Representatives of the Baraboo District Ambulance Service spoke before Baraboo’s Administrative Committee Tuesday proposing a change in how partner towns, villages and the city divide $250,000 to support the service. Most of BDAS’ multi-million dollar budget comes from patients’ payments for care by the ambulance crews.

Bylaws of the Baraboo District Ambulance Commission split the subsidy based on communities’ property assessments. For 2009, officials agreed to divide the costs based on population in an effort to gain more users.

BDAS Interim Director Troy Snow said Tuesday per capita division of the subsidy is fairer and should be extended a year. It makes it easier to bring new communities under the BDAS umbrella. Growing the service in turn lowers costs for member communities, he said.

Dividing $250,000 on a population basis costs $13.45 per person, he said. Divided based on property values, the subsidy costs Baraboo only $11.99 per person, but the town of Freedom pays $22.87 per resident.

"Why should one pay more or less than another, they’re all getting the same level of paramedic service?" Snow said. "If you look at the town of Freedom, they pay almost $23 a person for the same exact service that the city of Baraboo gets for $12."

Snow said the town of Sumpter officials unanimously rejected a proposal to BDAS coverage. The village and town of Merrimac haven’t made formal decisions about whether to join BDAS.

Snow said the Town of Excelsior is close to deciding to be served by BDAS and Reedsburg Ambulance Service.

"We had really approached (Excelsior) to service all of their township," Snow said. "But really as a compromise we kind of drew the line on highways with two-thirds for Baraboo and one-third for Reedsburg."

Ambulance Commission attorney Wayne Maffei said it is to the advantage of all member communities to adopt per-capita division.

"The only way the commission can continue to keep the subsidy, for not only for Baraboo, also all the members as low as it is, is to offer paramedic service at a competitive rate," Maffei said. "And population-based assessments is the only way to do that."

Chairman Robkin said budget times are tight and many Baraboo City Council members are not going to look kindly on spending the $18,000 more BDAS will cost if the change is made and no more communities join to further share expenses.

In past years $18,000 would not be a big matter, Robkin said. However, this year the City Council "worked to find a few hundred dollars here, a few thousand dollars here trying to make up what we needed to balance our budget and the $18,000 is on top of that," he said. "Which is the source of the resistance."

Robkin pointed out the BDAS budget contains a reserve fund of nearly $620,000 which could be used to supplement their effort to seek new members.

"Why not do this internally?" he said. "If you have the success you are predicting ... some time in the future, then is the time to come to one of the major contributing bodies and ask for a major change and you could get a very good reception."

When it came to a vote Alderman Peter Chambas and Alderwoman Karla Vale supported a motion recommending the City Council modify the Ambulance Commission bylaws for a year. Robkin voted no and the proposal goes on to the City Council.

After the meeting, both Chambas and Vale said helping BDAS expand is worth it.

"Number 1, it’s fair," Chambas said. "Expansion is great, we’ve got one of the best ambulances in the county. Let’s go for it."

Vale said she wanted to hear more discussion on the issue, but now supports the change.

"It just seems realistic to be able to expand," she said.