City Of Tulsa Considering Fire Service Fee

By Emory Bryan, The News On 6  

TULSA, OK -- The City of Tulsa might start charging a monthly fee for fire services or else send people a bill when the Tulsa Fire Department responds.

Read the Fire Department's Budget Plan

It's an idea to boost city income by $6 million a year, enough to restore some services that have been cut out of the budget.

"And all those public safety beautification and public works projects we have discontinued, we could begin to bring those back in this fiscal year," Terry Simonson, Mayor's Chief of Staff, said.

It's a fire utility fee that would come with options. Residents could pay a $5 monthly fee, or opt out.

Either way, callers would get the same response.

Residents who pay the fee would not be billed for a response. But those who opt out would be billed by the hour.

For a fire or car accident, the fee would be $200 per hour per truck. For a medical call, the bill would be a flat $100.

While the city would bill homeowners insurance - State Farm says not all policies provide that coverage.

There's a misconception that it's an automatic coverage issue," John Wiscaver, State Farm Insurance", said. "When in fact there's some question to whether that's a covered item or not when it's just because the municipality or city says we're going to charge you a fee, and we look for your insurance company to pay that, that may not actually be the case."

The mayor's office says the plan would give the city a chance to improve service. But the plan to start charging monthly or per call would need city council approval.

Why the Proposed System Could Impact Insurance Rates