1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to local government; authorizing special 
  1.3             taxing districts for emergency medical services; 
  1.4             authorizing property tax levies; adding to the list of 
  1.5             special taxing districts; amending Minnesota Statutes 
  1.6             2000, section 275.066; proposing coding for new law as 
  1.7             Minnesota Statutes, chapter 144F. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  [144F.01] [EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES SPECIAL 
  1.10  TAXING DISTRICTS.] 
  1.11     Subdivision 1.  [POLITICAL SUBDIVISION DEFINED.] In this 
  1.12  section, "political subdivision" means a county, a statutory or 
  1.13  home rule charter city, or a township organized to provide town 
  1.14  government. 
  1.15     Subd. 2.  [WHO MAY ESTABLISH.] Two or more political 
  1.16  subdivisions, or parts of them, may establish by resolution of 
  1.17  their governing bodies a special taxing district for emergency 
  1.18  medical services.  The participating territory of a 
  1.19  participating political subdivision need not abut any other 
  1.20  participating territory to be in the special taxing district. 
  1.21     Subd. 3.  [BOARD.] The special taxing district under this 
  1.22  section is governed by a board made up initially of 
  1.23  representatives of each participating political subdivision in 
  1.24  the proportions set out in the establishing resolution, subject 
  1.25  to change as provided in the district's charter, if any, or in 
  1.26  the district's bylaws.  Each participant's representative serves 
  2.1   at the pleasure of that participant's governing body. 
  2.2      Subd. 4.  [PROPERTY TAX LEVY AUTHORITY.] Each year the 
  2.3   district's board may impose a tax on taxable real and personal 
  2.4   property in the district up to an amount sufficient to discharge 
  2.5   its operating expenses and debt payable in that year.  The 
  2.6   county auditors of those counties having property to be taxed 
  2.7   under this section must spread and collect the taxes, and then 
  2.8   remit them to the district, all in the manner otherwise provided 
  2.9   by law for those duties. 
  2.10     Subd. 5.  [PUBLIC INDEBTEDNESS.] The district may incur 
  2.11  debt in the manner provided for a municipality by chapter 475, 
  2.12  when necessary to accomplish a duty charged to it. 
  2.13     Subd. 6.  [USE OF LEVY PROCEEDS.] The proceeds of property 
  2.14  taxes levied under this section may be used to support the 
  2.15  providing of out-of-hospital emergency medical services 
  2.16  including, but not limited to, first responder or rescue squads 
  2.17  recognized by the district, ambulance services licensed under 
  2.18  chapter 144E and recognized by the district, medical control 
  2.19  functions set out in chapter 144E, communications equipment and 
  2.20  systems, and programs of regional emergency medical services 
  2.21  authorized by regional boards described in section 144E.52. 
  2.22     Subd. 7.  [ADVISORY COMMITTEE.] A special taxing district 
  2.23  board under this section must appoint an advisory committee to 
  2.24  advise the board on issues involving emergency medical services 
  2.25  and EMS communications.  The committee's membership must be made 
  2.26  up of representatives of first responders, ambulance services, 
  2.27  ambulance medical directors, EMS communication experts, and at 
  2.28  least one public member.  The advisory committee members serve 
  2.29  at the pleasure of the appointing board. 
  2.30     Subd. 8.  [POWERS.] (a) In addition to authority expressly 
  2.31  granted in this section, a special taxing district under this 
  2.32  section may exercise any power that may be exercised by any of 
  2.33  its participating political subdivisions, but the special taxing 
  2.34  district may only use the power to do what is necessary or 
  2.35  reasonable to support the services set out in subdivision 6. 
  2.36     (b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), the district may only 
  3.1   levy the taxes authorized in this section. 
  3.2      Subd. 9.  [ADDITIONS AND WITHDRAWALS.] (a) Additional 
  3.3   eligible political subdivisions may be added to a special taxing 
  3.4   district under this section as provided by the board of the 
  3.5   district and agreed to in a resolution of the governing body of 
  3.6   the political subdivision proposed to be added. 
  3.7      (b) A political subdivision may withdraw from a special 
  3.8   taxing district under this section by resolution of its 
  3.9   governing body.  The political subdivision must notify the board 
  3.10  of the special taxing district of the withdrawal by providing a 
  3.11  copy of the resolution at least two full calendar years in 
  3.12  advance of the proposed withdrawal.  The taxable property of the 
  3.13  withdrawing member is subject to property taxation for the 
  3.14  expenses and debt of the district through the last of the two 
  3.15  full calendar years following the notice of the withdrawal, 
  3.16  unless the board and the withdrawing member agree otherwise by 
  3.17  action of their governing bodies. 
  3.18     Subd. 10.  [DISSOLUTION.] If the special taxing district is 
  3.19  dissolved, the assets may be assigned to a successor entity, if 
  3.20  any, or otherwise disposed of for public purposes as provided by 
  3.21  law.  The liabilities are the responsibility of the political 
  3.22  subdivisions who are members of the district at the time the 
  3.23  decision to dissolve is made unless the board of the district 
  3.24  decides otherwise.  The allocation of liabilities, may be made 
  3.25  only on a reasonably equitable basis. 
  3.26     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 275.066, is 
  3.27  amended to read: 
  3.28     275.066 [SPECIAL TAXING DISTRICTS; DEFINITION.] 
  3.29     For the purposes of property taxation and property tax 
  3.30  state aids, the term "special taxing districts" includes the 
  3.31  following entities: 
  3.32     (1) watershed districts under chapter 103D; 
  3.33     (2) sanitary districts under sections 115.18 to 115.37; 
  3.34     (3) regional sanitary sewer districts under sections 115.61 
  3.35  to 115.67; 
  3.36     (4) regional public library districts under section 
  4.1   134.201; 
  4.2      (5) park districts under chapter 398; 
  4.3      (6) regional railroad authorities under chapter 398A; 
  4.4      (7) hospital districts under sections 447.31 to 447.38; 
  4.5      (8) St. Cloud metropolitan transit commission under 
  4.6   sections 458A.01 to 458A.15; 
  4.7      (9) Duluth transit authority under sections 458A.21 to 
  4.8   458A.37; 
  4.9      (10) regional development commissions under sections 
  4.10  462.381 to 462.398; 
  4.11     (11) housing and redevelopment authorities under sections 
  4.12  469.001 to 469.047; 
  4.13     (12) port authorities under sections 469.048 to 469.068; 
  4.14     (13) economic development authorities under sections 
  4.15  469.090 to 469.1081; 
  4.16     (14) metropolitan council under sections 473.123 to 
  4.17  473.549; 
  4.18     (15) metropolitan airports commission under sections 
  4.19  473.601 to 473.680; 
  4.20     (16) metropolitan mosquito control commission under 
  4.21  sections 473.701 to 473.716; 
  4.22     (17) Morrison county rural development financing authority 
  4.23  under Laws 1982, chapter 437, section 1; 
  4.24     (18) Croft Historical Park District under Laws 1984, 
  4.25  chapter 502, article 13, section 6; 
  4.26     (19) East Lake county medical clinic district under Laws 
  4.27  1989, chapter 211, sections 1 to 6; 
  4.28     (20) Floodwood area ambulance district under Laws 1993, 
  4.29  chapter 375, article 5, section 39; 
  4.30     (21) Middle Mississippi river watershed management 
  4.31  organization under sections 103B.211 and 103B.241; and 
  4.32     (22) emergency medical services special taxing districts 
  4.33  under chapter 144F; and 
  4.34     (23) any other political subdivision of the state of 
  4.35  Minnesota, excluding counties, school districts, cities, and 
  4.36  towns, that has the power to adopt and certify a property tax 
  5.1   levy to the county auditor, as determined by the commissioner of 
  5.2   revenue.