[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough
of Bellmawr as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
[Adopted by Ord. No. 10:13-09; amended in its entirety at time of adoption of Code (see
Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
The Borough of Bellmawr provides emergency services through
the Bellmawr Fire Department to citizens and visitors of the Borough
of Bellmawr on a twenty-four-hour basis throughout the year to the
extent that such resources are available.
All persons needing emergency services within the Borough of
Bellmawr shall be serviced to the extent that such services are available
without discrimination on any basis and without respect to residency,
ability to pay, or any other factor. No person located within Bellmawr
Borough at the time emergency services are needed shall be denied
available service when such services are available. There shall be
no delay in providing available service due to emergency services
billing.
Bellmawr Borough, through the Bellmawr Fire Department and a
third-party billing agent (retained by Bellmawr Borough for the purposes
of seeking payment for the provision of emergency services), shall
maintain accurate records of all Bellmawr Borough requests for emergency
services, service calls, and services approved by Bellmawr Fire Department.
Said records shall include pertinent information about the general
nature of the call and shall identify the complete name, mailing address,
place of domicile, location and telephone numbers of all persons requesting
and receiving Bellmawr Fire Department services, as well as all pertinent
and available insurance information.
The Borough of Bellmawr shall contract with a third-party billing agent for the collection of payment for services rendered by the Bellmawr Fire Department. Said bill shall be issued to the insurance company for the person served, if any, or directly to the person served if insurance coverage is not available. Fees to be charged for Bellmawr fire and rescue services shall be as provided in Chapter 210, Fees.
Persons receiving a bill for emergency services shall make payment
to Bellmawr Borough or its agent within 30 days or provide proof that
they have submitted a claim to their insurance carrier for payment
within 30 days of receipt of a bill. These provisions shall be subject
to the following:
A.
Persons receiving emergency services who have health or automobile
insurance to cover emergency services are expected to cooperate with
Bellmawr Borough's third-party billing agent to secure full payment
for services rendered.
B.
In the event the health or automobile insurance company of a taxpayer
or domiciled resident does not pay the bill in full, the Borough of
Bellmawr will accept such partial payment to the extent of the insured's
policy limits, including deductible and co-insurance requirements,
as payment in full.
C.
In the event that a taxpayer or domiciled resident of the Borough
of Bellmawr does not have health or auto insurance to cover charges,
payment shall not be required so long as the nature of the call is
deemed an emergency by the Bellmawr Fire Department and the Borough.
This is necessary to deter frivolous use of emergency services.
D.
Due to the time requirements for the preparation and processing of
insurance claims, interest shall not be charged on Bellmawr Borough
emergency services billings.
E.
After providing emergency services, the Bellmawr Fire Department shall transmit all pertinent billing information to Bellmawr Borough's third-party billing agent for collection as set forth in Subsection F below. The third-party billing agent shall be responsible for receipt of payment and proper recordkeeping of its collections as provided in its contract with the Borough of Bellmawr. Payments received by the third-party billing agent shall, thereafter, be transmitted electronically to the Borough of Bellmawr to be administered by the Bellmawr Borough Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in an account that will dedicate said funds back to the provision of emergency services within the Borough. This shall include the accumulation of funds for future equipment and apparatus needs as well as payment of salaries for part-time or full-time emergency workers as the Mayor and Council see fit to serve the needs of the Borough. In addition, the third-party billing agent shall simultaneously transmit a transport report to the Bellmawr Fire Department for its review and approval and transmit a copy to the Borough CFO. The Bellmawr Fire Department shall prepare a reconciliation report and shall monitor the operations of the third-party billing agent, including billing activities and receipt of funds.
F.
The third-party billing agent shall be responsible for the initial
billing and two follow-up billings. Costs associated with the third-party
reimbursement requests shall be based solely upon a percent of collections
as provided in its contract with the Borough of Bellmawr. After three
attempts to collect said claim, the third-party billing agency shall
notify the Borough of Bellmawr and relinquish rights to that billing,
unless otherwise directed by the Borough Administrator. The Borough
of Bellmawr shall determine if said delinquent accounts should be
turned over to a collection agency that will be compensated on a percent
of cash collections of the delinquent accounts. The Borough of Bellmawr
reserves the right to determine that a bill is uncollectible and should
be written off.
For the purposes of emergency service charges, the following
definitions shall apply:
Any individual who is the spouse or an unemancipated child (natural,
adopted, or stepchild) of a taxpayer or domiciled resident as defined
below;
Any unemancipated child for whom the taxpayer or year-round
resident has been appointed legal guardian;
Any individual who resides in a permanent domicile of the taxpayer
or domiciled resident and is claimed as a dependent for federal income
tax purposes; or
Any individual who resides in the permanent domicile of the
taxpayer or domiciled resident and who is deemed to be a dependent
under the health insurance policy of the taxpayer or domiciled resident.
Any individual whose legal domicile is within the Borough
of Bellmawr. Verification of domicile shall be based on voter registration,
a State of New Jersey driver's license, proof of filing a State
of New Jersey income tax return from a Bellmawr Borough address, or
other proofs accepted under federal guidelines.
Any individual listed on the deed of ownership of any property
located within the municipal boundaries of the Borough of Bellmawr
and his or her dependents as defined above. In the case of a corporation,
partnership, etc., only those individuals retaining a 25% or greater
ownership shall be considered a taxpayer. For the purpose of determining
ownership of 25% or greater, adult married or civil union partners
may combine their ownership.
