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DNRC seeks higher parcel and per-acre caps for Fire Protection Assessments
Summary
The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation told the House Natural Resources Committee a statutory rate cap on Fire Protection Assessments has been reached and proposed raising the maximum parcel and per-acre caps so assessments can continue to cover one-third of DNRC's fire program budget.
MADISON/HELENA — The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) urged the House Natural Resources Committee to support higher statutory caps on Fire Protection Assessments to close a funding gap for state wildfire protection services.
Matt Hall, Fire Protection Bureau Chief for DNRC's Forestry and Trust Lands Division, told the committee DNRC is responsible for wildland fire protection across about 60,000,000 acres in Montana and that the department relies on a mix of general fund appropriations and assessments to fund its fire protection program. “The legislature provides two thirds of that budget with general funds, and then requires the department to generate the revenue to cover the remaining one third of those funds,” Hall said.
Hall said the statutory caps on Fire Protection Assessments (FPA) were last adjusted in February 2015 and the current caps have been reached, leaving assessments unable to generate enough revenue to match the portion of the program budget…
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