Bill would let fire protection districts dissolve civil service if board and employees agree

Senate Bill 5172, heard at a Local Government, Land Use & Tribal Affairs Committee hearing, would let a fire protection district that has adopted a civil service system dissolve that system if its governing board adopts a resolution and a majority of the district’s civil service employees vote to dissolve the system within 60 calendar days.

The bill’s sponsor and fire district officials told the committee the change targets small, rural districts that say civil service procedures impose delays and administrative burdens that hinder timely hiring of firefighters and chiefs.

Karen Epps, committee staff, told senators that a district may adopt civil service by board resolution if it has a fully paid fire department, and that SB 5172 would add a process for…