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Legal review finds no ordinance change required; board to update advisory council policy
Summary
County legal opinion concluded the existing ambulance‑taxing ordinance applies only to unincorporated areas and needs no change; board agreed to draft a policy and consider advisory‑council bylaw updates and partner‑agency agreements.
Bonner County Ambulance Service Board members reviewed legal guidance on the district’s governing structure and agreed to create a written policy defining the advisory council’s role and partner‑agency communications.
Chief (Bonner County Ambulance Service) summarized counsel’s opinion and recounted that Bill P., the county’s legal advisor, and another counsel (referred to in the meeting as "Gigre") reviewed the ordinance and concluded it applies only to unincorporated areas of the county and that no legal change is required: "it's only for unincorporated areas of the county to begin with...so there's no real reason to mess with that." The board treated that advice as closing the question of a mandatory ordinance amendment.
Why it matters: the legal interpretation clarifies where the ordinance currently applies and reduces the immediate need to amend the county code. However, the board said it still may change the ordinance later for policy reasons or to adjust the advisory council’s duties.
The board directed staff to draft a written policy clarifying the advisory council’s purpose, membership and processes and to update the council’s bylaws as needed. Commissioner Domke said he would send an email to Rosemary to start that work and asked staff to roll facility, vehicle and equipment ownership/transfer details into the joint‑powers agreement (JPA) scope.
The board also noted that alternative legal structures had been reviewed previously and that counsel had described options; those options remain available but were not recommended as necessary because they would carry legal costs without clear benefit.
Discussion: board members flagged that revising advisory council membership and partner agreements is important to improve countywide transparency and to clarify who reports to the district and how outside agencies are represented at meetings.
Next steps: staff will update the task list to roll building, vehicle and equipment ownership into the JPA scope; staff will draft an advisory‑council policy and propose bylaw changes for the council’s membership and reporting process.
