Bonner County Ambulance District schedules budget hearing, discusses $800,000 TAN and bank account transition

The Bonner County Ambulance Service District board agreed to schedule a standalone public budget hearing for Aug. 20 and discussed seeking a Tax Anticipation Note (TAN) availability of about $800,000 to cover cash shortfalls while the district establishes independent banking and legal arrangements.

The board’s discussion matters because the ambulance district is separating financial operations from Bonner County, creating new recurring costs (insurance, legal, bookkeeping) and changing how revenue and payroll timing affect cash flow. Commissioners and staff emphasized needing concrete data to justify TAN sizing and a clear plan for opening independent bank accounts so billing and federal payers are not disrupted.

Chief Jeff Lindsay, who presented the budget materials, said Bonner County EMS needs to set a date and format for the public budget hearing and preferred a standalone meeting rather than combining it with the county budget hearing. "I don't have a date time set because that was something I wanted to discuss with the commissioners before I did that," Lindsay said. Commissioners agreed to use the district’s regular meeting on Aug. 20 for the public hearing and asked staff to publish appropriate notices.

Lindsay outlined estimated TAN costs and options. He said the district’s prior TAN preparation used…