Jefferson County, WV (2026 Nov 5) — The County Commission voted at its Nov. 5 meeting to contract with a collection agency to collect more than $2 million in unpaid ambulance fee bills, some dating back to 2014.
Following questions from Commission President Pasha Majdi, the County’s Chief Financial Officer David Bound shared his estimate that the County could realistically expect to receive $1 million from a successful collection effort.
The report discussed by Bound during the meeting showed a total of $2,060,613 in unpaid ambulance fee bills as of August 2026. Bound divided the unpaid bills into two groups:
- $1,325,551 for bills issued in fiscal years 2020 through 2026.
- $735,062 for bills issued prior to fiscal year 2020 (some dating back to the first bills issued in 2014).
Under the contract that the Commission approved, the collection agency will retain 30% of the amounts collected. Bound’s calculations showed that the County could collect $1,442,429 (after the collection fees) if the entire amount is collected, which he said is unlikely.
The Commission has asked staff to report on the progress of the collection effort at its next meeting.
>>>More coverage of the County’s ambulance services at Observer.com…
Published 2026 Nov 5 in the Observer Weekly.
By Steve Pearson