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O60ORDINANCE NO. 60 AMENDING ART. V., "EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES" OF CHAPTER 6 TABLED & WILL NOT BE RECONSIDERED ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ARTICLE V, "EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES," OF CHAPTER G, "EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND SERVICES; PROVIDING FOR THE COLLECTION OF FEES FOR THE USE OF THE CITY'S EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE; PROVIDING THAT THIS ORDINANCE SHALL BE CUMULATIVE OF ALL ORDINANCES; PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; PROVIDING A SAVINGS CLAUSE; PROVIDING FOR PUBLICATION IN PAMPHLET FORM; PROVIDING FOR PUBLICATION IN THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, the City of Kennedale, Texas is a Type A general-law municipality located in Tarrant County, created in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 6 of the Local Government Code and operating pursuant to the enabling legislation of the State of Texas; and WHEREAS, the city provides emergency medical transport service to its citizens; and WHEREAS, the city has experienced a lack of cooperation by many citizens who fail or refuse to file a claim or allow the city to file a claim with the appropriate health insurance carrier; and WHEREAS, the ability of the city to continue to provide this service to the citizens depends on the adoption of a more forma] process to assure the city is able to file insurance claims when the emergency medical transport service is used; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY TIIE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENNEDALE, TEXAS: SECTION 1. Article V, "Emergency Medical Services," of Chapter 6, "Emergency Management and Services," of the Kennedale City Code, as amended, is amended by adding Section 6-108, to read as follows: A:\EMSFEE.ORD 09/14/94 "Sec. 6-108. Funding of Emergency Medical Transport Service. (a) Purpose. The purpose of this section is to enable the city to continue to make emergency medical transport services available to all citizens at an affordable price. (b) Fees. The city shall charge each person who uses the city's emergency medical transport service the following fee to pay for the cost of providing the service: Basic service of transport to hospital: $400 Additional advanced medical service, if $150 (c) Responsibility f r A person will not be required to pay this fee if within 60 days of b ritten notice of the charge the person transported or the person responsible for the person transported: ~~;a ~~Q~a',~ ~ ~S ~~ (1) provides the city evidence that an insurance claim has been filed on behalf of the city for coverage of the charge with the health insurance carrier for the person transported; or (2) signs and files with the city, an affidavit under penalty of perjury, verifying that the person transported has no health insurance coverage. (d) Extension. The 60-day time limitation may be extended by the city administrator for good cause, but not to exceed a total of 120 days. (e) Collection. The city will use whatever legal means are available to collect ambulance fees when no insurance claim or affidavit is filed. The city administrator shall formulate billing information so that citizens clearly understand their options under this section." SECTION 2. Cumulative Clause. This ordinance shall be cumulative of all provisions of ordinances of the City of Kennedale, Texas, except where the provisions of this ordinance are in direct conflict with the provisions of such ordinances, in which event the conflicting provisions of such ordinances are hereby repealed. SECTION 3. Severability Clause. It is hereby declared to be the intention of the City Council that the phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs, and sections of this ordinance A:\EMSFEE.ORD 2 09/14/94 are severable, and if any phrase, clause sentence, paragraph or section of this ordinance shall be declared unconstitutional by the valid judgment or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, such unconstitutionality shall not affect any of the remaining phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs and sections of this ordinance, since the same would have been enacted by the City Council without the incorporation in this ordinance of any such unconstitutional phrase, clause, sentence, paragraph or section. SECTION 4. Savings Clause. All rights and remedies of the City of Kennedale are expressly saved as to any and all violations of the provisions of Chapter 6 of the Kennedale City Code, as amended, or any other ordinance or code provision affecting emergency medical services which have accrued at the time of the effective date of this ordinance; and, as to such accrued violations and all pending litigation, both civil and criminal, whether pending in court or not, under such ordinances, same shall not be affected by this ordinance but may be prosecuted until final disposition by the courts. SECTION 5. Publication in Pamphlet Form. The City Secretary of the City of Kennedale is hereby authorized to publish this ordinance in book or pamphlet form for general distribution among the public, and the operative provisions of this ordinance as so published shall be admissible in evidence in all courts without further proof than the production thereof. SECTION 6. Publication in the Newspaper. The City Secretary of the City of Kennedale is hereby directed to publish the caption, penalty clause, publication clause and effective date clause of this ordinance in every issue of the official newspaper of the City of Kennedale for two days, or one issue of the newspaper if the official newspaper is a weekly newspaper, as authorized by Section 52.011 of the Local Government Code. A:\EMSFEE.ORD 3 09/14/94 SECTION 7. Effective Date. This ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage and publication as required by law, and it is so ordained. PASSED AND APPROVED ON THIS DAY OF , 1994. MAYOR EFFECTIVE: ATTEST: CITY SECRETARY APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY: City Attorney A:\EMSFEE.ORD 4 09/14/94