SENATE BILL REPORT

                            HB 2205

                AS PASSED SENATE, MARCH 1, 1994

Brief Description:  Creating urban emergency medical service districts.

SPONSORS: Representatives Cothern, L. Johnson and H. Myers

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON REVENUE

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

Majority Report:  Do pass. 

     Signed by Senators Haugen, Chairman; Loveland, McCaslin, Oke and Winsley.

Staff:  Rod McAulay (786‑7754)

Hearing Dates: February 21, 1994

BACKGROUND:

An emergency medical service district is a special district that may be created in the unincorporated area of a county to provide and finance emergency medical services.  The county legislative authority acts in an ex officio capacity as the governing body of an emergency medical service district.

If a county imposes the property tax for emergency medical services, no taxing district within its boundaries may impose this tax.

Voters of King County have authorized the county to impose the regular property tax to finance emergency medical services.  Snohomish County does not impose the emergency medical service tax.  Most of the city of Bothell is located in King County, but a part of Bothell is also located in Snohomish County.

SUMMARY:

A city or town that is located in two counties may create an urban emergency medical service district in all of the portion of the city or town that is located in one of the two counties if:

*The county in which the district is located does not impose the property tax to fund emergency medical services; and

*The other county in which the city or town is located imposes the property tax to fund emergency medical services.

The city or town council acts in an ex officio capacity as the governing body of an urban emergency medical service district.

An urban emergency medical service district is authorized to provide emergency medical services within its boundaries by contracting with a county, city, town, fire protection district, public hospital district, or emergency medical service district to provide those services.

Voters of an urban emergency medical service district may approve regular property taxes of up to 50 cents per $1000 of assessed valuation for six years to finance emergency medical services.  The ballot proposition authorizing the taxes must be approved by at least a 60 percent affirmative vote, with a 40 percent validation requirement.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  requested February 8, 1994

TESTIMONY FOR:

Will enable Bothell to provide EMS services in the portion of the city in Snohomish County.

TESTIMONY AGAINST:  None

TESTIFIED:  Stan Finkelstein, AWC