County to repay $80,000 loan

BONNERS FERRY — The $80,000 borrowed from the Boundary County Solid Waste Department to establish the Boundary County Ambulance Service District needs to be repaid within the same fiscal year.

In response to an inquiry letter by Prosecuting Attorney Jack Douglas, Idaho Deputy Attorney General George Brown said that because the ambulance service is a governmental function (required by Idaho Code), it is likely that a county has the authority to make a loan of available funds in order to establish an ambulance service.

Transfer of funds between county funds is illegal by Idaho Code but there is no statutory authority regarding the transfer of money out of funds, such as to a taxing district.

It is logical to conclude that a county establishing a new ambulance service district can fund the startup costs of the service with any moneys not otherwise barred from transfer, wrote Brown in the return letter.

However, the loan must be repaid with revenues from the levy year from which the loan originated. Therefore, the loan must be repaid in full from the 2013 levy, said Brown.

“The prosecuting attorney indicated and concurred with the Attorney General that we need to pay it back,” said Dan Dinning, Boundary County Commissioner. “We have to pay it back.”