By Ann E. Marimow
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Montgomery County Council member Phil Andrews yesterday introduced what he called an alternative to a proposed ambulance fee that would earmark money from fines raised by red light and speed cameras to pay for fire-rescue equipment and pedestrian safety programs.

Andrews (D-Gaithersburg-Rockville) and several other council members have balked at County Executive Isiah Leggett's ambulance fee proposal in response to opposition from residents and the county's well-organized volunteer firefighters, who contend that such a fee would discourage people from calling for help.

"We heard loud and clear from our constituents that they have very little appetite for more taxes and fees, and we can ill afford to have people hesitate to call," said council member Valerie Ervin (D-Silver Spring), one of four council members who joined Andrews as co-sponsors of the alternative, all but guaranteeing passage by the nine-member panel.

Leggett (D) immediately pushed back against Andrews's alternative, calling it a diversion of existing money that would create a gap in funding for other programs, increase the overall budget shortfall and leave about $14 million in potential revenue from health insurance companies untapped.

"What the council doesn't fully understand is that they've added to this budget problem," Leggett said in a news conference called in response to Andrews's announcement.

The back-and-forth between Leggett and council members came just weeks after the council temporarily shelved Leggett's plan to create an ambulance transport fee to boost funding for fire and emergency services. Leggett's legislation is designed to charge health insurance companies -- not residents -- $300 to $800, depending on the service.

Under Andrews's legislation, the county would dedicate half of the roughly $10 million in revenue from red light and speed cameras to purchase ambulances, fire engines and ladder trucks. An additional 35 percent would go to pedestrian programs, and 15 percent would fund traffic safety programs within the police department.

County budget writers do not specifically track how money from speeding tickets is spent. But in the past two years, for instance, the county has opened a family justice center and hired 22 new police officers, five sheriff's deputies and two prosecutors.