LOCAL
Ambulance
Continued from Page A1
As of press time Friday,
March 25, the Herald had not
received from the city a break-
down of how many ambulance
calls are from inside the city
limits versus how many are
from outside.
In 2019, when the county re-
leased a request for proposals
for ambulance providers in a
service area that includes Baker
City and about half of the rest
of the county, two private com-
panies, along with the Baker
City Fire Department, submit-
ted proposals.
One of the private ambu-
lance firms is Med Transport
Inc. of North Powder.
Commissioners tabled the
issue, and the Baker City Fire
Department has continued
as the ambulance provider in
the service area, but without a
long-term contract.
In January of this year, Can-
non gave the county a pro-
posed three-year contract
under which the city fire de-
partment would continue as
the ambulance service pro-
vider.
County Commissioner
Bruce Nichols said on Wednes-
day, March 23, the day after
the City Council meeting, that
the county had prepared a re-
sponse to Cannon’s proposal,
suggesting a one-year contract.
But Nichols said the county
failed to send that proposal to
the city.
The county’s proposal —
which Cannon said he received
Thursday, although not di-
rectly from the county — in-
cludes a county contribution of
$130,000 to the fire department
for the fiscal year that starts
July 1, 2022.
That’s $7,000 less than the
amount Cannon projected the
city would have sought from
the county.
County Commissioner Mark
Bennett said on Wednesday
morning that he was “shocked”
by the City Council’s notice
about the intention to cease
ambulance service on Sept. 30.
Bennett said county and city
officials will continue to discuss
the matter, and he said his goal
is to have the Baker City Fire
Department maintain its am-
bulance operation.
City councilors weigh in
City Councilor Shane Alder-
son said he spoke on Thurs-
day, March 24, with Nichols
and with Bill Harvey, chairman
of the Baker County Board
of Commissioners, about the
county’s proposed contract.
“I haven’t talked to our city
manager yet, but I am going
to try to get a work session put
together for our next meeting
and then I think that we can
come to an agreement if coun-
cil thinks that agreement is
something we can work with
and that will try to extend it
out for a year and then city and
county will work together to
try to come up with a plan for
either a transition or to be able
to afford continuing ambu-
lance service,” Alderson said.
After speaking with Nichols
and Harvey, Alderson said he
feels the “consensus is that we
would like to keep it going for
at least another year and then it
would give everybody time to
work on a plan of action going
forward.”
Councilor Joanna Dixon
said the county’s proposal is
not acceptable to her as written.
“The biggest issue as far as
I’m concerned is the compen-
sation from the county,” Dixon
said. “We’re not getting any-
where near enough from them
to cover the costs of the county
runs. The city just cannot fi-
nancially continue to operate
the ambulance service with the
losses we’ve been incurring.”
In his report to councilors
on Tuesday, Cannon wrote that
“we are anticipating shortfalls
between the cost of service and
the revenues collected from the
service which could approach
a million dollars a year in the
very near future.”
Councilor Dean Guyer said
that even with the county of-
fering $130,000 for the next
fiscal year, eventually the
city will need to find a new
source of revenue if it is go-
ing to try to continue operat-
ing ambulances.
“My biggest concern is that
we’re looking at a major short-
fall,” Guyer said. “Somebody
eventually has to make that
decision and come to the con-
clusion that you can’t continue
to subsidize at the level that
we are without having conse-
quence.”
Guyer compared the city’s
Celebration of the Wonderful Life of
Adriene Kay Oster
Baker City Fire Department/Contributed Photo
Baker City firefighters used a ladder truck while fighting a house fire
at 1249 Fifth St. on Monday night, Jan. 31, 2022.
“The biggest issue as far as I’m
concerned is the compensation
from the county. We’re not
getting anywhere near enough
from them to cover the costs of
Dixon
the county runs. The city just
cannot financially continue
to operate the ambulance service with the
losses we’ve been incurring.”
— Joanna Dixon, Baker City councilor
situation with that of hospi-
tals, which have to treat pa-
tients even if they’re incapable
of paying.
“And that’s what we’re up
against now, is trying to fig-
ure out in the overall scheme
of things, who’s paying for the
costs,” he said.
Like Alderson, Guyer said
he believes that city and
county officials need to have a
joint meeting to seek a possi-
ble solution to the ambulance
dilemma.
Cannon said he under-
stands that many local resi-
dents likely agree with Ben-
nett that the ideal solution is
to have the Baker City Fire
Department continue to oper-
ate ambulances.
“Baker City does a good
job with it, and we have a
very skilled and capable staff,”
Cannon said. “It is something
that I think our citizens have
come to appreciate and re-
spect and value.”
But Cannon said the finan-
cial challenges for the city are
daunting.
Ambulance runs much more
common than fires
The department’s name in-
cludes “fire” and not “ambu-
lance,” but calls for ambulances
are much more common.
Over the past four years, am-
bulance calls have accounted
for about 84% of the depart-
ment’s total calls, Cannon said.
And that percentage prob-
ably would have been a bit
higher, he said, except the de-
partment in 2021 ceased trans-
porting patients from Saint Al-
phonsus Medical Center-Baker
City to other hospitals, usually
in Boise, because insurance
doesn’t pay for those transfers,
and when an ambulance crew
is en route to Boise, it puts
additional pressure on the re-
maining fire department staff.
But it’s not just the volume
of ambulance calls that poses a
financial challenge for the de-
partment, Cannon said.
He told city councilors on
Tuesday that 80% to 85% of
the people who are treated or
transported are covered by ei-
ther Medicare or Medicaid. Yet
those federal insurance pro-
grams generally pay only about
20% of what the city bills, he
said.
For the fiscal years 2017-18,
2018-19 and 2019-20, ambu-
lance calls involving patients
April 2 – 2 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church
1995 4 th St. • Baker City
Gifts in her memory may be made
to the Adriene Oster Memorial
Scholarship Fund at the Baker City
branch of Banner Bank
– Livestream –
You Tube FPC Baker City
– Tribute Wall –
tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com
John Walter Dima
August 14, 1962 - February 3, 2022
John Walter Dima, 59, of
Pendleton OR passed away at
his home February 3, 2022. John
was born to Donald Dima and
Wanda Colton Larson on August
14, 1962. Born in Baker City, he
grew up in Baker County and spent
many years in Weston and Athena,
Oregon, lastly making his home in
Pendleton.
John served in the U.S. National Guard and worked
with his uncle, John E. Dima, learning the building
construction trade in Alaska. He then returned to
the mainland where he met Rhonda Hasbrouk. They
married and they four children: Dennis, Amber, Ashley
and Brittney.
John was in his element when he was fishing or
hunting and taking pictures of wildlife and nature.
He was very proud of his new camera! He loved his
family very much, and loved spending time with his
grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his father, Don Dima,
and his stepdad, Joe Larson, and his grandparents, Bud
and Doris Colton, and John N. Dima and Eunice Dima.
He is survived by his life partner and love, Rhonda
Hasbrouk, son Dennis Dima, and daughters Amber
Dima, Ashley Dima and Brittney Breneman. His
granddaughters, Kadence and Allia, and grandsons
Skylar, Landon and Mason. His mother Wanda Larson,
sisters Linda Larson (Dave), and Sherry Laber (Randy).
As well as many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and
cousins.
A Celebration of Life is to be held at McKay
Community Park, 1531 S.W. 44th St., in Pendleton,
April 9 at 1 p.m.
rent 16.25 full-time equiva-
lents, to compensate for the
loss of ambulance revenue
and the significant drop in
service calls.
He said he doesn’t have
any specific projections, but
he conceded that reducing
the staff by as much as half is
possible.
Personnel costs, as with
most government operations,
account for the bulk of the
fire department’s expenses.
The budget for the current
fiscal year includes slightly
more than $2 million in per-
sonnel costs — 87% of the to-
tal fire department budget of
$2,326,000.
Cannon said he “hates” the
prospect of laying off fire de-
partment staff.
“It’s a miserable thing to
have to do,” he said. “This is
not something anyone takes
lightly.”
Cannon said that although
city officials, despite the lack-
luster ambulance billing col-
lections, have managed to
avoid cuts in other city de-
partments that operate on
general fund dollars, the city
has had to delay some proj-
ects.
The list includes replacing
the roof on the fire depart-
ment, replacing the irriga-
tion system at the city-owned
Quail Ridge Golf Course,
and, a longer-term need,
a new foundation for the
119-year-old City Hall.
Voter-approved laws limit
the annual growth in prop-
erty taxes, so the city can’t
rely on that source to cover
fire department ambulance
revenue shortfalls.
Property tax revenue in the
general fund rose by about
4% from 2019-20 to 2020-21,
to about $2.95 million in the
latter fiscal year.
Besides the fire depart-
ment, the other major ex-
pense in the general fund is
the police department. Unlike
the fire department, which
collects significant revenue
from ambulance operations,
the police department has
no comparable source, rely-
ing more heavily on property
taxes.
Staffing cuts inevitable if
The police department’s
budget for the current fiscal
ambulance service ends
If the city ceases ambulance year is $2,564,000. The police
operations Sept. 30, Cannon budget has increased by al-
said it would be necessary to most 27% since the 2018-19
reduce staffing, from the cur- fiscal year.
covered by Medicare or Med-
icaid, even though they ac-
counted for a large majority of
billing, produced from 49% to
58% of the department’s ambu-
lance revenue, according to city
budgets.
Most of the rest of the fire
department’s revenue comes
from property taxes paid by
owners of property within the
city limits.
Although the department’s
ambulances also respond to
calls in much of Baker Valley
and other parts of the county,
the city doesn’t receive property
taxes from those areas.
Changing that, possibly
through a new property tax
levy for ambulance services
that would include properties
outside the city limits, is one
possible way to alleviate the
city’s financial concerns, Can-
non said.
Cannon said the city has im-
proved its billing and collection
procedures. Based on a recent
projection, the city could col-
lect about $1 million from am-
bulance billing for the current
fiscal year, which ends June 30.
Revenue totaled about
$820,000 in the previous fis-
cal year, $953,233 in 2019-
20, $818,361 in 2018-19, and
$788,870 in 2017-18, according
to city budgets.
Boosting revenue to $1 mil-
lion would be “huge for us, but
it’s still not enough,” Cannon
said.
The improvement in collec-
tion rates actually started in
2019.
(The following numbers are
from calendar years, not fiscal
years, so they don’t match with
numbers in previous para-
graphs.)
In calendar year 2019, the
city billed $2.45 million for am-
bulance services and collected
$801,000 — 32.7%.
In 2020 the collection rate
rose to 35.8%, although the
amount collected dropped a
bit, to $771,000, because the
city billed less, about $2.15 mil-
lion.
The biggest change, though,
happened in 2021, when the
city billed $2.21 million and
collected $1,124,000 — 50.8%.
Joyce Walter
December 3, 1928 - March 19, 2021
Steven Warren McKern
February 20, 1952 - January 6, 2022
We will be gathering to share
our favorite memories, our
stories, to laugh, to cry and
remember a wonderful
person who is greatly missed.
BAKER CITY HERALD • SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2022 A3
Steve McKern, age 69, of
Sumpter, Oregon, passed away
suddenly at his home on January
6, 2022. A celebration of life will
be held on Friday, May 27, 2022
starting at 1 p.m. at the grange in
Mt.Vernon (across from Holliday
Park). Courtesy of the Snaffle Bit,
food and coffee will be provided.
Come join us and share some stories.
Steve was born February 20, 1952, to Melvin
(Shorty) and Marilyn McKern in Canyon City, Oregon.
Steve grew up in Mt.Vernon along with his brother,
Duane. After graduating from Mt.Vernon High School.
he joined the National Guard and alongside his parents,
built and opened the Arco gas station. Which went on to
become McKern’s Texaco. This was known as the hub
of Mt.Vernon, where you would go to get the morning
gossip, drink some coffee and share hunting stories!
Steve was an avid hunter with not only a full curl ram’s
head to show for it, but countless elk and deer stories.
He had many passions, but he was at greatest peace in
the mountains, just sitting on a mountain ridge gazing into
open mountain space. He loved jumping on the 4-wheeler
and going for a ride just to cut a load of firewood or
build fence. In the spring you could always find him out
looking for morels!!
He loved to go fishing with his buddy, Doug, or his
brother. Although his granddaughter, Raychelle, would
always outfish them, he would always want to go again.
Steve was a jack of all trades, and could fix anything
from big rigs, lawnmowers, and chain saws, to fishing
reels; nothing was too complicated for him. His greatest
accomplishment was building houses and he would
always make his home so warm and inviting, which is
exactly what he wanted.
Steve loved to yard sale, rummage sale, estate sale.
Anything sale-related, he was there! He loved to make
a deal. He would buy the strangest things and get the
biggest kick out of it...
Steve was an excellent mechanic and a fantastic log
truck driver. He loved every aspect of logging. Especially
the slash piles he could burn come spring!!!!
Steve and his ex-wife, Denise, raised 2 children,
which has given him 5 granddaughters and 3 great-
granddaughters.
He is survived by his brother, Duane (Lilliana )
McKern, Redmond, Oregon, daughter Mindy (Ray) Ross,
North Pole, Alaska, Son Dusty (Ellen) McKern, Hamilton,
Montana, 5 beautiful granddaughters, Alyssa, Raychelle,
Haylee, Ashlynn and Kassidee, 3 great-granddaughters,
Nephews, Seth, Luke and Gabriel McKern and 2 great-
nephews.
He was a great man, father and friend, he is greatly
missed.
For those who would like to make a memorial
donation in memory of Steve, may do so to either the
Mt. Vernon (Grant County) or Sumpter Quick Response
Units through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O.
Box 543, Halfway, Oregon, 97834. Online condolences
may be shared at www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com.
Evelyn Joyce Walter was born
on December 3, 1928, to Modest
Belle Bennet Allen and Thomas
Dayton Allen in Brownsville,
Texas. The family moved to
Lancaster, California, shortly
thereafter where she was active
in 4-H Club elementary through
high school. Joyce attended the
University of California-Santa
Barbara where she belonged to and
was a leader in several clubs. Joyce graduated with a
BA in Education and Music with a minor in Art. Upon
graduation Joyce married William Robert Walter of
Baker City, Oregon, in Lancaster, California, on August
4, 1950. She and Bill moved to Portland, Oregon, where
Joyce taught school for the first year after her marriage
until three children were born in quick succession; Joy
Lyn Walter Kendall; Patricia Gaylene Golden; Thomas
Vern Walter. During the early days of her children’s
lives Joyce served as a pastor’s wife in Mulino, Oregon,
1952 to 1955 until the family moved to Lancaster,
California. When the children reached school age,
Joyce resumed classroom teaching K-6. When the
family relocated to San Diego from 1960 to 1972 Joyce
served as reading specialist and curriculum writer for
San Diego City School District. Joyce did post-graduate
work at UCSD, San Diego State, San Fernando Valley
State and UCLA during this time and later pursued
more post graduate work at Portland State University,
George Fox College and Eastern Oregon State College.
When the family moved to West Covina in 1972 Joyce
served as principal and preschool director of Baldwin
Park Christian School until 1983 when they moved
to Baker City, Oregon, where she resumed classroom
teaching 5th and 6th grades. She retired in 1991.
Joyce was an accomplished classical pianist. She
served as a volunteer throughout her life as Sunday
School teacher, church pianist and later as treasurer
for a nonprofit organization that brought high quality
music artists to Baker City. Joyce was a member of Beta
Epsilon, Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society
International. Joyce and her husband Bill were always
providing service to their community. For instance, they
provided rides to senior citizens to the Senior Center
for meals and on Sunday to church. After more than
60 years of marriage, Joyce’s husband, Bill, died on
June 12, 2012. Joyce moved into Settlers Park assisted
living in 2015 and then moved in with her daughter,
Joy Kendall, in Santa Rosa, California. She moved
to Lincoln City to be near her daughter, Gaylene, in
October 2020. Joyce passed into the presence of her
Lord March 19, 2021, after suffering a stroke. She is
survived by her children: Joy, Gaylene and Thomas;
her grandchildren, Kendall: Andrea Marie Kendall,
Justin Daniel Kendall, Sonya Ranae Kendall Heisters;
Jonathan Michael Kendall, Krista Joy Kendall Martinez;
Golden: Taryn Rose Golden Lopez, Nylah Gwendolyn
Golden Hazard, Evelyn Cait Golden Quinn and Walter:
Laverne Olivia Walter, Aaron William Walter. Joyce
had 16 great-grandchildren.
A family memorial was held at the Sutton Creek
Ranch in Baker City on July 31, 2021. A community
celebration of Joyce’s life is slated to be held at Calvary
Baptist Church summer of 2022. Date and time TBA.