Passed by the Senate March 12, 2003 YEAS 49 NAYS 0 BRAD OWEN ________________________________________ President of the Senate Passed by the House April 16, 2003 YEAS 97 NAYS 0 FRANK CHOPP ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives		CERTIFICATE I, Milton H. Doumit, Jr., Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5824 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth. MILTON H. DOUMIT JR. ________________________________________ Secretary
Approved May 9, 2003. GARY LOCKE ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington		FILED May 9, 2003 - 4:25 p.m. Secretary of State State of Washington

AN ACT Relating to allowing rural fire protection districts to contract with cities for ambulance services and impose a monthly utility service charge on each developed residential property located in the fire protection district; and adding a new section to chapter 52.12 RCW.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 52.12 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) A rural fire protection district organized under this title may enter into a contract pursuant to chapter 39.34 RCW with a contiguous city for the furnishing by the city to the fire protection district or districts of emergency medical services in the form of ambulance services, provided that the contract may not provide for the establishment of any ambulance service that would compete with any existing, private ambulance service. The fire protection district or districts may impose a monthly utility service charge on each developed residential property located in the portion of the fire protection district or districts served pursuant to the contract in an amount equal to the amount imposed by the city on similar city developed residential property. Developed residential property includes single-family residences, apartments, manufactured homes, mobile homes, and trailers available for occupancy for a continuous period greater than thirty days. A fire protection district or districts may contract with the contiguous city or with any other governmental entity pursuant to chapter 39.34 RCW for the billing and collection services related to the monthly utility service charge for ambulance service. A city providing ambulance services to a fire protection district or districts under a contract entered into pursuant to this subsection may charge individuals actually using the ambulance services reasonable rates and charges for the ambulance services.
     (2) For purposes of this section, "rural" means a population density within the fire protection district or districts as a whole of ten or fewer persons per square mile.