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Committee approves bill allowing city-based volunteer fire departments to place dues on property tax bills
Summary
A Senate City, County & Local Affairs Committee approved a bill permitting volunteer fire departments located inside city limits to collect dues via property tax bills; an amendment requires city council approval for assessments over $100. The measure passed by voice vote with a second from Senator Flippo.
A Senate City, County & Local Affairs Committee on an unspecified date approved a bill to allow volunteer fire departments located within municipal boundaries to place department dues on property tax bills.
Speaker 1 said the measure had ‘‘passed that February 7’’ but then ‘‘got lost in the senate’’ and that when it was retrieved it needed to be amended to align with changes made to Senator Hammer’s bill. "This allows volunteer fire departments that are within city limits," Speaker 1 said, describing a process by which departments could petition to have dues added to the property-tax bill.
The amendment Speaker 1 described would require city council approval when an assessment exceeds $100. Speaker 1 said that amendment brought the bill back to the committee; Speaker 2 confirmed that the change mirrored the treatment Senator Hammer’s bill provided for fire districts, placing the charges on property tax bills rather than relying on the statutory mechanism that covers rural departments.
On procedure, Speaker 2 indicated the amendment had already been handled and the bill was engrossed. The committee then moved to a vote: Speaker 2 announced a motion to pass with a second "from Senator Flippo." The chair called for the ayes and the transcript records affirmative voice responses; there was no roll-call tally in the transcript.
Speaker 1 announced, "Your bill passes, Senator Clark," and Senator Clark thanked the chair and the committee. The transcript does not record subsequent steps such as scheduling for full Senate consideration or any fiscal note or implementation details.
Why it matters: Allowing municipal volunteer departments to use the property-tax billing mechanism could streamline local fee collection but also places an approval threshold (city council if assessments exceed $100) that preserves local elected oversight. The transcript indicates the committee approved the bill; no further details on enactment timelines or fiscal impacts appear in the recorded discussion.
