TITLE 31

COUNTIES AND COUNTY LAW

CHAPTER 39

AMBULANCE SERVICE

31-3908.  Ambulance district authorized — districts formed before July 1, 2020. The provisions set forth in this section shall govern an ambulance district formed prior to July 1, 2020:

(1)  The county commissioners of any county shall, upon petition signed by not less than fifty (50) qualified electors of said county, or any portion thereof, which may exclude incorporated cities, undertake the following procedure to determine the advisability of resolving to establish and maintain an ambulance service district within the county as may be designated in the petition.

(a)  A petition to form an ambulance service district shall be presented to the county clerk and recorder. The petition shall be signed by not less than fifty (50) of the resident real property holders within the proposed district. The petition shall designate the boundaries of the district.

(b)  The petition shall be filed with the county clerk and recorder of the county in which the signers of the petition are located. Upon the filing of the petition, the county clerk shall examine the petition and certify whether the required number of petitioners have signed the petition. If the number of petition signers is sufficient, the clerk shall transmit the petition to the board of county commissioners.

(c)  Upon receipt of a duly certified petition, the board of county commissioners shall cause the text of the petition to be published once a week for at least three (3) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation within the county. With the publication of the petition, there shall be published a notice of the time of the meeting of the board of county commissioners when the petition will be considered stating that all persons interested may appear and be heard. No more than five (5) names attached to the petition shall appear in the publication and notice, but the number of signatures shall be stated.

     At the time of filing the petition, the sponsors thereof shall cause to be deposited with the county clerk a sufficient sum of money to cover the cost of publication of the petition and all necessary notices. If the petition and notices are not published, the deposit shall be returned to whomever deposited the funds, and if there is any surplus remaining after paying for the publication as herein provided, it shall be returned to the original depositors, and if a district is created, the fees so expended are an obligation of the district and shall be repaid by the district to the depositors.

(d)  At the time set for hearing the petition, the board of county commissioners shall hear all persons who desire to be heard relative to the creation of an ambulance service district. The board of county commissioners may, if they so desire and it appears desirable, adjourn the meeting for not to exceed thirty (30) days to further hear the petitioners and protestants, if any. After the hearing or hearings, the board of county commissioners shall adopt a resolution either creating the proposed ambulance service district or denying the petition. When the board of county commissioners creates an ambulance service district, the board shall adopt a resolution describing the boundaries of the district.

(e)  When the board of county commissioners adopts the resolution creating the ambulance service district, the board shall include in the resolution the name of the district and file a copy of the order creating the district with the county clerk and recorder, for which the clerk shall receive a fee of three dollars ($3.00).

(f)  Procedures for annexation, deannexation, or dissolution of a district created pursuant to this section shall be in substantial compliance with the provisions for public notice and hearing provided herein and shall be by resolution adopted by the board of county commissioners.

(2)  When the board of county commissioners has ordered the creation of an ambulance service district, pursuant to the provisions of this section, such district is hereby recognized as a legal taxing district, and providing ambulance service is a governmental function.

(3)  The board of county commissioners shall be the governing board of an ambulance service district created pursuant to this section and shall exercise the duties and responsibilities provided in chapter 39, title 31, Idaho Code.

(4)  In any county where an ambulance service district is created as provided herein, the board of county commissioners is authorized to levy a special tax, not to exceed four-hundredths percent (.04%) of market value for assessment purposes, except as authorized by paragraph (a) of this subsection, upon all taxable property within the district for the purposes of the district, but the levy otherwise authorized in section 31-3901, Idaho Code, shall not be made on taxable property within the district.

(a)  In any county where an ambulance service district:

(i)   Was created as of January 1, 1976;

(ii)  Had at the time of its creation a market value for assessment purposes of the district of less than three hundred million dollars ($300,000,000); and

(iii) The service provided by the district is an advanced life support paramedic unit;

the board of county commissioners may submit to the electors within the district the question of whether the levy authorized in this subsection may be increased to a levy not to exceed six-hundredths percent (.06%) of market value for assessment purposes upon all taxable property within the district for the purposes of the district, if approved by a minimum of two-thirds (2/3) of the qualified electors of the district voting at an election called for that purpose and held on the May or November dates provided in section 34-106, Idaho Code, but the levy otherwise authorized in section 31-3901, Idaho Code, shall not be made on taxable property within the district.

(5)  The board of county commissioners is authorized by resolution to create an ambulance district capital improvement account. The board may dedicate all or a portion of the fees and taxes collected pursuant to this chapter to the capital improvement account for the purpose of purchasing necessary buildings, land or equipment for the operation of the district. The board is further authorized to carry over and add to the funds in the account from year to year in order to make the purchases authorized by this subsection.

(6)  The board of county commissioners is authorized by resolution to enter into cooperative agreements with other adjoining counties, adjoining fire protection districts, or other adjoining political subdivisions in Idaho or in other states in order to pool resources and increase efficiency and improve emergency medical services.

(7)  As used in this chapter, "ambulance district" or "ambulance service district" means a political subdivision formed to provide ambulance transport, emergency medical services as defined in section 56-1012, Idaho Code, community health emergency medical services as defined in section 56-1012, Idaho Code, and/or other activities necessary to meet the community health needs of the district.

History:

[31-3908, added 1975, ch. 258, sec. 1, p. 703; am. 1976, ch. 289, sec. 2, p. 996; am. 1980, ch. 350, sec. 9, p. 896; am. 1981, ch. 288, sec. 1, p. 593; am. 1994, ch. 34, sec. 1, p. 51; am. 1994, ch. 52, sec. 1, p. 90; am. 2010, ch. 208, sec. 1, p. 449; am. 2015, ch. 157, sec. 1, p. 548; am. 2020, ch. 183, sec. 3, p. 575; am. 2020, ch. 209, sec. 8, p. 605.]