Fiscal impact reports (FIRs) are prepared by the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) for standing finance
committees of the NM Legislature. The LFC does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of these reports
if they are used for other purposes.
Current FIRs (in HTML & Adobe PDF formats) are a vailable on the NM Legislative Website (legis.state.nm.us).
Adobe PDF versions include all attachments, whereas HTML versions may not. Previously issued FIRs and
attachments may be obtained from the LFC in Suite 101 of the State Capitol Building North.
F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Smith
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
2/18/07
HB
SHORT TITLE
Village of Columbus Ambulance Services
SB 1073
ANALYST Propst
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY07
FY08
$100.0
Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Duplicates HB 1244
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Department of Finance and Administration (DFA)
Department of Health (DOH)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
Senate Bill 1073 appropriates $100.0 from the General Fund to the Local Government Division
of the Department of Finance, to fund ambulance and emergency services in the Village of
Columbus.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of $100.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General Fund.
Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY08 shall revert to the
General Fund.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
DFA reports that the Village of Columbus volunteer fire department provides emergency
services to the Village and along the Mexican border, serving an area of approximately 888
pg_0002
Senate Bill 1073 – Page
2
miles. They respond to 400 to 500 emergency calls per year, and a round trip to the nearest
hospital is 70 miles. They have two ambulances, but rely on volunteers to staff the department.
The Village would like to improve their services and response time by hiring EMS staff, and
replacing outdated equipment.
DOH notes that CFEMS has been in service for over 26 years but has been under increasing
pressure over the past several months because of unresolved financial insolvency. The only
revenues available to CFEMS are from patient fees (50% of patient runs are to the Port of Entry
and to Mexican Nationals); local governments do not support the operations of the ambulance
department.
CFEMS has allowed their federal grant to expire. The local ambulance service requested
emergency funds from the EMS Fund Act to use as a stipend for salaries for their employees;
however the EMS Fund Act is only available for supplies and equipment and can not be used for
salaries. The local community has banded together and funded salaries for staff of CFEMS for
the short term.
DUPLICATION
Duplicates HB 1244
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
The Village of Columbus has a tight operating budget. For FY07, the village received $9.3 in
EMS funding from the Department of Health. Other costs incurred in providing emergency
services are covered with ambulance fees or private donations.
WEP/mt