Toledo may bill for fire response

Homeowners insurance would pay for fire calls

Yet another way for Toledo to try to cut the deficit. If your home catches fire, the city wants your insurance company to pay a fee for the response.

What would that mean for you insurance rates? We spoke with an insurance agent who says no question, the answer is yes, rates will go up if they have to pay a new fee.

But the fire chief says he spoke with several different insurance companies locally who tell him there's already a provision in their policies Chief Mike Wolever says, "It will allow us to recover costs that the insurance company already provides for."

The chief says it would be a flat fee-- whatever the homeowner's insurance policy allows for. "We are not going after the homeowner. We are only doing soft billing, which means we're only going to go after the insurance company."

Some city council members voiced their support in light of Toledo's budget deficit. Joe McNamara said "The problem is with a 12 to 14 percent unemployment rate, there's not enough Toledoans working to pay the taxes for the same level of services the city has been delivering."

George Sarantou agreed. "We've got a revenue problem and we have to do something. And I think because this is a soft billing, I think I can live with this."

Councilman D. Michael Collins said, "They're already paying for the insurance. The only thing we're doing is applying a bill where the citizen is not inconvenienced."

But others disagree with testimony that rates won't increase. Councilwoman Betty Shultz said, "I feel very strongly that it would affect insurance rates."

And Michael Ashford said, "Please understand that your insurance rates will go up, it's going to happen." Ashford says it all depends on where you live. "Some of those folks who have property in certain zipcodes, they're going to get hit, maybe because they didn't have a fire, it might've happened two blocks from their house."

City council could vote on the proposal at next Tuesday's meeting. If approved, it would generate $500,000 a year for the fire department.

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