ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Fifty-sixth Legislature

First Regular Session

House: LARA DPA 9-0-0-0

HB 2803: forestry and fire management; appropriation

Sponsor: Representative Gress, LD 4

Committee on Appropriations

Overview

Appropriates $150,000,000 from the state General Fund to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) for public safety grants in FY 2024 and establishes a process for a city, town or fire district to apply for and use grant monies for emergency equipment and construction or renovation of fire stations.

History

Fire Districts

Fire districts are special districts created by county boards of supervisors to provide fire protection services and assist the State Fire Marshall in enforcing fire protection standards within the district's boundaries. These districts can also procure the services of an organized fire protection company or fire department in a neighboring city or town and contract with a city or town for fire protection services until that city or town chooses to develop regular fire department services (A.R.S. §§ 48-261 and 48-805).

Fire districts are funded through the fire district assistance tax (FDAT), which a county board of supervisors levies on all taxable property within a county. This secondary property tax is capped at $0.10 per $100 of assessed valuation. The statutory formula for distributing FDAT proceeds to districts is complex. Generally, the amount of FDAT proceeds each fire district receives is limited to 20% of that district’s levy, with the caveat that this amount is further reduced by the dollar amount that district receives above $400,000. This provision applies regardless of whether the fire district is located in more than one county (A.R.S. § 48-807).

City and Town Fire Departments

A city or town can form a fire department as part of its general powers (Title 9, Chapter 4). This department is typically funded through the city's or town's general fund as part of the overall operating budget. Cities and towns derive revenue for this fund through various taxes and fees.

Grants for Emergency Equipment

There are some federal grants that provide funding to fire departments, including:

1) The Rural Fire Capacity Grant Program is a federal grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provides financial assistance to train, organize and equip fire departments in rural areas and communities to combat wildfires. To be eligible for a program grant, fire departments or districts must serve a community of 10,000 or less with 80% volunteer firefighting personnel. The maximum award to any single organization is $10,000 per year (16 U.S.C. § 2106).

2) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants are three-year grants through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. These grants are intended to help fire departments increase the number of firefighters to help communities meet industry minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards (15 U.S.C. § 2229a).

Provisions

1. Appropriates $150,000,000 from the state General Fund to DFFM for public safety grants in FY 2024 and exempts this appropriation from lapsing. (Sec. 1)

2. Authorizes the city, town or fire district apply for a public safety grant. (Sec. 1)

3. Requires a public safety grant application to include the following information:

a) the name and contact information of the contact person for the application;

b) a description of how the grant monies will be used and, constructing or renovating fire stations, a demonstration that ongoing operating costs produced by a project can be paid for at least 25 years;

c) the average medical emergency response time for the city's or town's fire department or fire district; and

d) other information required by DFFM to award the grant monies. (Sec. 1)

4. Allows a city, town or fire district to use public safety grant monies to:

a) purchase equipment necessary to respond to public safety emergencies, including fire engines, ambulances, radio telecommunications and uniforms and equipment; or

b) construct or renovate fire stations. (Sec. 1)

5. Requires DFFM to:

a) develop an emergency medical service and law enforcement response time goal for urban and rural areas based on data from across the state and industry best practices;

b) annually award 75 percent of grant monies to towns, cities or fire districts serving urban areas and 25 percent to those serving rural areas based on their needs and average emergency medical service and law enforcement response times; and

c) adopt rules to implement this program. (Sec. 1)

6. Allows DFFM to retain up 5 percent of appropriated monies to administer this program. (Sec. 1)

7. Instructs DFFM to prepare an expenditure plan for fund monies and submit it to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) for review. (Sec. 1)

8. Stipulates that DFFM can only award grant monies after JLBC has reviewed its expenditure plan. (Sec. 1)

9. Directs DFFM to submit quarterly reports to JLBC on the amount of grant monies awarded and expenditures of grant monies. (Sec. 1)

Amendment

Committee on Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs

1. Allows a city, town or fire district to use public safety grant monies to purchase and provide emergency alert services available through a mobile application or other means.

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5. HB 2803

6. Initials PAB/AH Page 0 Appropriations

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