(a) No service charge may be assessed unless the service charge is approved at a referendum election of the qualified voters in the district, provided that no person may vote more than once in the election.
(b) Any service charge assessed shall be collected by the revenue commissioner of the county where the property is located and distributed to the board of the district for fire protection and emergency medical services and for the administration of the district.
(c) The expenses of establishing and maintaining the district shall be paid for by the proceeds of the service charge, which shall be assessed and collected from qualified property owners within the district. The revenues collected from each district, less any costs of collection, shall be used for fire protection and emergency medical services in the district. The service charge shall be a personal obligation of the owner of the property served by the district and shall be due at the same time as the property tax payment.
(d) To secure the collection of the service charge, there shall be a lien against the property in favor of the district, which lien shall be enforceable by the sale thereof in the same manner in which foreclosure of a municipal assessment for public improvement is authorized. Each district that collects any service charge pursuant to this part shall be bonded for an amount sufficient to cover three times the total revenue to be collected pursuant to the service charge on an annual basis.
(e) A volunteer fire department or fire and emergency medical services district that exists within the district established pursuant to this part may remain in operation and shall be a subdistrict of the district. The subdistrict shall submit a budget to the district, which shall allocate portions of the revenue from the service charge to the subdistrict. Each subdistrict shall be entitled to an allocation of no less than forty-five thousand dollars ($45,000) per calendar year.
Last modified: May 3, 2021