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Senate advances bill to increase township bonding limits for fire stations
Summary
The Kansas Senate advanced Senate Bill 7, which would raise township bonding limits — including a provision allowing townships with fire departments to issue bonds up to 5% of assessed valuation — and would require public elections before issuance.
Senate Bill 7, which would raise bonding limits for townships and allow townships that provide fire services to issue bonds up to 5% of assessed valuation with voter approval, was advanced by the Kansas Senate during its Feb. 12 session.
The bill was introduced by Senator Tyson (Pottawatomie), who said the measure was requested by Soldier Township in Shawnee County, a township of about 15,000 residents that wants to replace a 50-year-old fire station. Tyson said existing statutory bonding limits, set in the 1930s and 1940s, prevent the township from issuing enough bonds to finance a new station.
Under the bill, a graduated bonding scale would be tied to township population and assessed valuation to increase allowable bonding for the first time in decades. The bill also would permit townships that maintain a fire department to bond up to 5% of assessed valuation, but in both cases the bill would require a public election before bonds could be issued.
Tyson told the committee three proponents testified at the bill hearing: himself, Representative McNorton and the township board of trustees; he said there were no neutral or opposing witnesses. Tyson moved that the committee report the bill favorably, and the motion carried in committee. The measure was taken up on final action as part of a consent calendar and was declared passed, with the final roll call showing 39 senators voting in favor and none against for bills that included Senate Bill 7.
The measure would change longstanding limits in state law; the bill text links the new bonding authority to population and assessed valuation and requires voter approval before issuance. No fiscal estimates or estimated bond amounts for Soldier Township were provided during the floor explanation.
If enacted, the law would allow townships to seek voter approval to raise funds for capital projects such as replacement fire stations; any bond issuance would still be subject to the usual election process specified in the bill.
