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Bill to ease consolidation of fire districts approved by committee for floor; bill aims to remove budget-growth disincentives
Summary
House Bill 208 would allow Idaho fire districts to consolidate or otherwise combine budgets and levies without being penalized by the 3% budget-growth cap; the committee sent the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation after fire-service supporters described operational efficiencies and safeguards for local control.
The Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee on a voice vote sent House Bill 208 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation after testimony that the bill would remove a budget-growth disincentive that currently discourages consolidation of fire districts.
Senator Jim Woodward, Legislative District 1, introduced the bill and deferred to Representative Mark Sauter, who said the measure is intended to fix an “unintended consequence” created when a 3% budget-growth cap was combined with older code governing fire-district budgets. “There is no incentive to — in fact there’s a deterrent to a…
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