A mayoral proposal to begin collection of ambulance fees from non-city residents appears to be weakening. 

Faced with an audience of emergency response volunteers opposed to the proposal, the city’s public safety committee Tuesday voted against collection of the fees. 

Committee members Lynda Walker and Brian Lemcke wil carry their recommendation to the full council next week. 

City mayor Greg Combs backs collection of ambulance fees, set at a base rate of $1000 plus $1 per mile. 

He proposes all non-city residents except fire department volunteers and their families be charged to build a replacement and operating ambulance fund. 

“If something does happen to this ambulance, you’re going to be scrambling around looking for money from the community again,” Combs said Tuesday. 

As an alternative, Combs suggested an annual $100 subscription fee for ambulance service. The annual fee could be waived for those who already donate to the emergency response crews, he said. 

Haines fire chief Roc Ahrens is among those who oppose the fee plan. Citing a fund drive two years ago to replace the city’s ambulance, Ahrens said non-city residents and organizations contributed more than twice the amount city residents did. 

“It really puts us between a rock and hard place on where we stand with the community,” Ahrens said. 

Public safety committee members Walker and Lemcke said they, too, don’t think now’s a good time to begin charging non-city residents. 

“Klukwan, Inc. gave us a super amount of money (to replace the ambulance in 1993),” Walker said of the corporation’s $20,000 contribution. “And I don’t see what we charge is going to pay for the bookkeeping.” 

Lemcke said he was uneasy that people needing emergency medical help might stop to consider whether they could afford it. 

It was generally agreed that a way of charging tourists for ambulance calls should be devised, and some system for users to pay for the service should eventually be established. Lemcke suggested that after seeing how increased tourist traffic this summer affects ambulance service, public safety committee members and emergency services personnel should revisit the issue of fees next fall. 

“The picture might look a little different by then,” Lemcke said. 

Editor’s note: This story was published digitally in 2025, but was originally printed in the March 2, 1995, edition of the Chilkat Valley News.