Public Hearing to Consider a Special Taxing District for an Ambulance Service District
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing will be held on January 21, 2025 for the purpose of considering the proposed:
ESTABLISHMENT OF AN AMBULANCE SERVICE TAXING DISTRICT
The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Hubbard County Board Room, Room 324, Hubbard County Government Center, 301 Court Avenue, Park Rapids, MN 56470.
A subcommittee of Cass and Hubbard County officials have been meeting for several months after Cass County received notice from the City of Walker that they were no longer capable of maintaining the current Walker area ambulance service district due to the increasing costs of operation. The committee is investigating the possibility of creating a special taxing district to hold the license. This district would require a separate board, and would have taxing authority to provide the funds needed for ambulance service operation. The commissioners on the subcommittee have recommended that there be a public meeting open to all Cass and Hubbard County property owners who would be affected by the creation of this district.
A public meeting was held on Monday, November 25 at the Walker Area Community Center to discuss options for maintaining ambulance service within the Walker Area Ambulance Service District.
The public meeting was well attended with more than 60 people attending in person and more than 40 people attending virtually. Options for ambulance services were discussed along with the timeline and process for Cass and Hubbard County to create an emergency medical services special taxing district that would be able to take over the license to operate an ambulance serve from the City of Walker, and have taxing authority to be able to maintain services at current levels.
The next steps in the process would be for each board to set a public hearing and to consider a resolution establishing a special taxing district and creating the board necessary for district oversight. If the process continues, the district could be created, the board established, and a provider identified to continue ambulance services before June 2025. The new board would have authority to levy for operating needs, estimated to be $650,000 annually, beginning in 2026.