35-514.02. Emergency medical or fire protection service; contract; agreement; notice; hearing; cost; levy; limitation.

(1) A rural or suburban fire protection district may establish an emergency medical service, including the provision of scheduled or unscheduled ambulance service, or provide fire protection service either within or without the district, may enter into agreements under the Interlocal Cooperation Act and the Joint Public Agency Act for the purpose of establishing an emergency medical service or providing fire protection service, may contract with any city, person, firm, corporation, or other fire protection district to provide such services, may expend funds of the district, and may charge a reasonable fee to the user. Before any such services are established under the authority of this section, the rural or suburban fire protection district shall hold a public hearing after giving at least ten days' notice, which notice shall include a brief summary of the general plan for establishing the emergency medical service or providing fire protection service, including an estimate of the initial cost and the possible continuing cost of operating the emergency medical service or fire protection service. If the board after such hearing determines that an emergency medical service or fire protection service is needed, it may proceed as authorized in this section. The authority granted in this section shall be cumulative and supplementary to any existing powers heretofore granted.

(2) Any fire protection district providing any service under this section may pay the cost for the service out of available funds or may levy a tax for the purpose of supporting an emergency medical service or providing fire protection service, which levy shall be in addition to any other tax for such fire protection district and shall be subject to (a) subsection (10) of section 77-3442 if the fire protection district has levy authority pursuant to subsection (10) of section 77-3442 or (b) section 77-3443 if the fire protection district does not have levy authority pursuant to subsection (10) of section 77-3442.

(3) When a fire protection district levies a tax for the purpose of supporting an emergency medical service, the taxpayers of such district shall be exempt from any tax levied under section 13-303.

(4) The board of a fire protection district which provides fire protection service outside of the district may charge a political subdivision with which the district has entered into an agreement for such service on a per-call basis for such service.

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