Bill that would allow ambulance districts to levy more in taxes stalled in committee

A bill that would allow the Weiser Ambulance District and the other 26 ambulance districts around the state to increase the amount of property taxes they collect annually is stalled in a House committee.

 Currently, the total levy rate that an ambulance district can assess is capped at .04 of the value of assessed property in the district. House Bill 240 would raise the cap on the tax levy by 50 percent to .06. 

 The legislation would allow ambulance districts to increase their budgets to an amount which would assess the full .06 percent levy rate. The approval of two-thirds of the voters in the ambulance district would be required to hike the tax rate.

 With the legislative session winding down in Boise, HB 240 is still in the House Revenue and Taxation Committee.

 Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale, who represents Washington County, said the proposed bill has been sitting in the committee for more that three weeks and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere this legislative session.

 Under Idaho law, ambulance districts are allowed to assess a property tax levy within the district to pay for ambulance transportation, emergency medical services, community health emergency medical services and other health services.

 The Weiser Ambulance District’s fiscal year 2019 budget totaled $1 million and included revenues of $210,000 in property taxes, or about 20 percent of the operating budget. 

 If HB 240 was passed by the Legislature and approved by voters in the ambulance district, the new levy of .06 would have raised an additional $100,000 in revenue in FY 2018 based on the assessed property value in the district.

 According to the assessor, the ambulance district levied the .04 rate on a taxable value of $525,722,840 in the district in 2018. In 2017, the ambulance district levied a rate of .039 for $198,432 on a taxable value of $499,024,460. 

 County commissioner Kirk Chandler said the commission supported HB 240 during the current session.

 The Weiser Ambulance District took a $100,000 hit to its budget when state lawmakers first capped the levy at .04. The district was at the higher tax rate of .06 at the time. The new legislation set a population limit at 10,000 or above and the ambulance district could no longer levy the .06 rate. The Weiser district was the only one in the state that was impacted. Now, there are more districts that the law impacts that would like the levy raised to .06, he said.

 Chandler said emergency services in small counties are difficult to fund because of the population and the ever-increasing state mandates and requirements. Fire districts can levy for more property taxes to provide adequate services, he said.

 The ambulance district has been successful in applying for and receiving grants that have allowed the purchase of equipment and ambulances.