(A) The county’s ambulance emergency medical services area shall include all residents in Sebastian County, excluding the City of Barling and the City of Fort Smith. The ambulance emergency medical services to be provided the residents of the designated area of the county shall include 24 hour, 7 day a week ambulance service provided by state certified emergency medical technicians. The ambulance service shall be licensed by the State Health Department as at least 1-A service.
(B) There is hereby established a yearly service charge of $18 (as amended from time to time by ordinance or resolution) in order to provide for ambulance emergency medical services, and it shall be collected from each individual, business, or other entity subject to assessing and paying a personal property tax in the designated emergency medical services area of the county. All funds derived from the levy of the service charge shall be used only to support the furnishing of ambulance emergency medical services in the designated area of the county, and to provide funds for the purchase of equipment, the maintenance and operation of equipment, and the payment of personal services necessary to provide such services. The services are to be funded by the service charge, fees from ambulance transportation charges and related services, and available state and federal grants.
(C) The service charge shall be due on the third Tuesday in February and shall be collected by the County Collector at the same time that personal property tax is collected for the preceding calendar year. The County Collector shall refuse to accept payment of any personal property taxes unless the taxpayer at the same time pays any service charges due by the taxpayer pursuant to this section. A delinquent charge of $18, as set from time to time by ordinance or resolution, shall be collected if the service charge prescribed herein is tendered after the date for which the charge is due and payable.
(D) All funds derived from the levy of service charges to support the furnishing of ambulance emergency medical services shall be used only for the purposes for which levied and a separate account shall be maintained in the county treasury in which all such funds shall be deposited. Such funds shall be expended only upon appropriation of the Quorum Court and shall be subject to the same accounting and disbursement procedures and requirements as other county funds.
(Ord. 85-39, passed 12-17-85)
(E) The County Quorum Court approves an ambulance fee schedule as established in Exhibit A to Resolution 88-2, and as amended from time to time.
(Res. 88-2, passed 4-20-88)