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House committee reviews bill allowing fire districts to raise local funds for volunteer departments
Summary
A House committee discussed HP 3-25, a bill that would let fire departments petition to form fire districts and hold local elections to raise funding for volunteer fire services. A motion was made to give the bill a favorable report as amended; no vote tally appears in the transcript.
A bill that would let local fire departments form fire districts and hold elections to raise local funding for volunteer fire services was discussed at a House committee meeting. The bill, referred to in the meeting as HP 3-25, was presented with amendments addressing liability protections and the scope of assessable land.
The sponsor, identified in the transcript only as a representative, told committee members the measure is designed to help volunteer departments facing financial strain. “We have 10 fire departments,” the sponsor said, describing departments that respond to large call volumes and have sought ways to secure local support. The sponsor said the proposal would allow a department to petition for a commission to form a fire district and then hold a local election so residents could decide whether to provide funding.
Committee discussion emphasized the bill’s origin in a yearlong stakeholder process. The sponsor said a committee that included “all of the fire chiefs and representatives from all fire departments” worked on the measure for a year, and the county commission adopted a unanimous resolution supporting the legislation.
Committee members and the sponsor discussed an amendment that narrows liability protections and excludes certain land from assessments. Counsel and the bill backers said they wanted “the proper amount of immunity, not blanket immunity,” and referenced “Code 65236, which applies to the volunteer service act.” The amendment also seeks to ensure that “unimproved timberland” would not be included in the area that could be assessed for district funding.
A representative raised concerns about volunteer shortages in some areas and noted the urgency of finding solutions where a jurisdiction has few or no volunteers. The sponsor and other members emphasized that the bill is intended to provide one tool for local communities to support fire protection, not to impose a mandate.
Near the end of the discussion a motion was made to give HP 3-25 a favorable report "as amended." The transcript records the motion but does not include a second, vote tally, or the committee’s final recorded disposition.
Committee staff asked members to check contact information for follow-up materials; the transcript records a staff member named Miss Fitzgerald as the contact for missing emails. The meeting then adjourned.
