Township supervisors on Tuesday could approve an ordinance aimed at offsetting a small portion of the $2.3 million the township is paying this year for fire, ambulance and rescue services.

The legislation would allow the township to impose a fee for the fire department's response to traffic accidents.

A companion resolution would impose the fee at a rate of $175 to $550 per accident depending on the amount of service provided.

The proposal would generate up to $39,625 for the township, based on 2009 accident response figures, said manager David Raver.

Idea: He said the administration developed the idea after township supervisors during the 2010 budget process asked for new ways to cover costs without relying on property tax.

The township's proposal is modeled after similar legislation enacted in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County.

Solicitor Dave Keiter said the new fee would be billed to insurance companies.

If a driver didn't have insurance, or if the insurance doesn't cover the fee, it wouldn't be collected, he said.

If more than one driver is involved in a crash, the
drivers' insurance companies would determine who would pay, Keiter said. That determination would probably be based on the police report.

"I'm not sure how much we will wind up collecting, but anything is better than nothing, especially these days," Keiter said.

Raver said it makes sense for the township to ask for the fee, especially because its fire department often respond to accidents involving out-of-towners traveling on Route 30 and Interstate 83.

"It's an effort to recoup some of our costs especially because we deal with the two major arterial highways," he said. Raver said he knows of no other municipalities in York County with similar laws.

A similar idea was floated several years ago in York City by former Councilman Cameron Texter, who said he dropped it after former Mayor John Brenner expressed discomfort with the concept.

Rare: If the fee is passed in Manchester Township, the township would become one of only a few municipalities in Pennsylvania that institute fees to respond to traffic accidents, said Sam Marshall, president and CEO of The Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania.

He said most insurance policies wouldn't cover the cost of such fees because they aren't legitimately associated with property damage or medical costs.

Any such fee paid by insurance companies would likely get passed down to consumers anyway, he said.

If so, the ordinance could also effectively make residents pay twice -- first via property taxes and then the fee -- for their paid fire service, he said.

Firefighters get paid regardless of whether they're sitting in the fire station or responding to an accident, he said.

"If you are a resident of the municipality and you get into an accident, you sort of think, 'that's what I pay taxes for,'" he said.

--Reach Carl Lindquist at 505-5432 or clindquist@yorkdis patch.com.
Details of the legislation

Manchester Township supervisors at their Tuesday meeting could approve an ordinance aimed at offsetting a small portion of the $2.3 million the township pays each year for fire and ambulance services.

The legislation would allow the township to impose a fee for the fire department's response to traffic accidents.

A companion resolution would impose the fee at a rate of $175 to $550 per accident, depending on the amount of service provided.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the township's building, 3200 Farmtrail Road.

Here's a look at some of the criteria used to determine the proposed fee levels:

---Level one incident ($175)

Basic response to a vehicle accident, including standby at the accident scene and utility problems.

Minimal or no fire police assistance

---Level two incident ($355)

Same requirements as level one, plus the need for traffic control for up to two hours, debris cleanup, assistance with vehicle removal and absorbent application.

---Level three response ($550)

Level two incident, plus above average use of power/hand tools, traffic control for more than two hours, accident reconstruction.

Any incident that requires extensive manpower and services.