Do you want to form an ambulance district?

Is your community in need of a long-term, tax-responsible solution to provide the most critical of needs - emergency medical services? ADAM has provided information to help you get started. The following was authored by ADAM’s attorney, Frank Foster, who has faithfully served ambulance districts since 1977:

AMBULANCE DISTRICT FORMATION STEPS

1. Voter Signatures: You need to get 10% of the voters to sign the Petition Signatures Document.
2. Petition: A cover Petition then has to be filed with the County Clerk.
3. County Clerk: The Clerk then presents the Petition to the Commission no less than thirty days but no more than forty days of the Clerk’s receipt ((see 190.020.2 RSMo).
4. Notice of a Hearing: Publication of a Notice of a Hearing to be conducted by the Commission must be published three times and the first publication cannot be less than 20 days prior to the Commission’s hearing. The cost of the publication of notice is borne by the Petitioners.
5. Election Scheduled: If the Commission finds the Petition in Order (190.030 RSMo) then an order for an election is made per 190.035 RSMo. My recollection is that the notice of the election cannot be less than 60 days prior to the election per 115.125 RSMo.
6. Formation Order: Presuming that the district is adopted by the voters then a formation order must be issued the day following the election 190.045 RSMo.
7. Election Subdistricts: Then the District will have to be divided up into six equal population election subdistricts (unless some sort of 190.051 RSMo election also has to have taken place). This section permits odd numbers for the board membership structure upon approval of the voters-no one has done this yet).
8. Notice to run for the Board: A notice for filing to run for the Board would have to go out.
9. Election of the Board: Election of the Board with staggered terms would occur within 90 days of the certification of the formation election (190.050 RSMo). Hopefully the 30-day notice could run coterminously with the 90 day notice of board of elections (but I have seen clerks tack the two periods on together).
10. Property tax Setting Deadline: If the District is going to be a property tax supported district some focus should be placed on the deadline for setting property taxes with the State Auditor’s Office which is September 01.
11. Sales Tax on Formation an Option: If the District is going to start out as a sales tax District then an Ordinance will be needed adopting the sales tax along with an election certification to be sent to the Department of Revenue. It takes at least another sixty days to get the sales tax money flowing.

EMS Legal Services Franklin E. Foster 932 Fairmount Blvd. Jefferson City, Mo. 65101
Phone: 1-573-635-5347 Fax: 1-573-635-5347 e-mail: [email protected]