County passes 2027 EMS budget

By Soncirey Mitchell
Reader Staff

The Bonner County Board of Commissioners, serving as the Ambulance Service District Board, voted unanimously Aug. 19 to pass the taxing district’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget of $5,994,937. BCASD will dedicate $242,632 to its contingency fund, making strides to overcome financial issues that began more than two decades ago.

Though founded as an independent taxing district, BCASD — previously called Bonner County Emergency Medical Services — operated as a county department from 2005 to 2024, incorrectly sharing finances with the county. The yearslong error, coupled with rising costs, left the district at a deficit, which Chief Jeff Lindsey, the BOCC and Clerk’s Office have been working to overcome.

The BCASD anticipates $3,478,937 in tax revenue for FY ’27, as well as more than $2.5 million from user billings, contract payments and other additional sources — increasing the budget by $693,150 compared to FY ’26. The district will dedicate $340,000 to ambulance and support vehicle upgrades, in addition to $163,000 for maintenance and fuel.

“Our maintenance and repairs have been kind of killing us, but we hope as we start updating the fleet that number will go down,” said Lindsey.

Finally, the vast majority — $4,276,684 — will go toward payroll expenses, including salaries and benefits for its 45 full- and part-time employees.

Visit bonnercountyid.gov/departments/ambulancedistrict to learn more.