Alaska bill would create 50% matching fund for local fire station construction and renovation

House Bill 207 would create a state fire station grant program to provide matching grants of up to 50% of eligible project costs for construction, replacement, or major renovation of fire stations, sponsor Representative Calvin Shrage told the House Community and Regional Affairs Committee on May 6, 2025.

The bill would add a new Article 6A to Alaska Statutes chapter 29.60 and create new sections (listed in the bill as 29.67.50, 29.67.60 and 29.67.70) to establish the program within the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development and a separate Fire Station Grant Fund. Section 2 of the bill sets an effective date of 07/01/2025, the sponsor’s staff said.

Representative Calvin Shrage (sponsor) said HB 207 “establishes the fire station grant program promoting a robust partnership between local communities and the state to strengthen safety and security.” Amanda Ndemo, staff to Representative Shrage, summarized the bill’s sectional analysis for the committee: the statute creates the program in the department, creates the fund, directs the department to adopt implementing regulations, and limits awards to no more than 50% of a proposed project’s total costs.

Forrest Kuiper, president of the Alaska Fire Chiefs Association and fire chief at the University of Fairbanks, testified in support. “This bill is more than a piece of legislation. It's a direct investment in the safety, resilience, and well-being of Alaskan communities, large and small,” Kuiper said. He told the committee that when the association cataloged needs in 2023 it identified roughly $400,000,000 in new and renovated construction needs across the state and that the association had a dynamic list of projects it would offer for legislative consideration.

Committee members asked how the program would operate in relation to existing municipal capital planning and other state grant programs. Representative Shrage said the bill creates a framework and an inventory of need so policy makers have a transparent, long-range list of projects to consider when funding is available; the bill itself does not appropriate money. “This allows for some long range planning for identification of need,” Shrage said.

Sandra Moller, director of the Division of Community and Regional Affairs (DCRA), said the department does not currently collect a statewide list of unmet community capital needs specifically for fire stations and that DCRA would coordinate with other agencies (for example, the Department of Public Safety) to provide technical assistance if the program is enacted. Kuiper said the chiefs’ association maintains and updates its own dynamic list of projects and that list has already grown as construction-price estimates have increased.

Committee members raised additional implementation questions: whether 50% is a common match level, whether grants could be braided with other public or private funding, and how the department would prioritize awards. Representative Shrage said those details would be developed in department regulations and through future committee work. Committee co-chair Rebecca Himshoo set an amendment deadline for HB 207 of 5:00 p.m. Friday, May 9, 2025.

The committee did not take a final vote on HB 207 during the May 6 hearing; the bill was presented for committee consideration with invited testimony and committee questions, and the committee set an amendment deadline.