Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
Act 673 of the Regular Session
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State of Arkansas As Engrossed: H3/19/25 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1416 3
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By: Representative L. Johnson 5
By: Senator K. Hammer 6
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING FIRE 9
DEPARTMENTS; TO ALLOW A VOLUNTEER 10
FIRE DEPARTMENT SERVICING UNINCORPORATED 11
AREAS OF THE COUNTY TO LEVY DUES; AND FOR OTHER 12
PURPOSES. 13
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Subtitle 16
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING FIRE 17
DEPARTMENTS; AND TO ALLOW A VOLUNTEER 18
FIRE DEPARTMENT SERVICING UNINCORPORATED 19
AREAS OF THE COUNTY TO LEVY DUES. 20
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 22
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 14 -20-108(a), concerning dues for volunteer 24
fire departments, is amended to read as follows: 25
(a)(1)(A) The quorum court of each county, upon request filed with the 26
quorum court by one (1) or more volunteer fire departments in the county 27
whose fire protection district covers an unincorporated area of the county , 28
may adopt an ordinance authorizing a designated county official to collect 29
and remit to the volunteer fire department whose fire protection district 30
covers an unincorporated area of the county the annual dues charged by the 31
volunteer fire department whose fire protection district covers an 32
unincorporated area of the county in consideration of providing fire 33
protection to those unincorporated areas in the county. 34
(B)(i)(a) When a quorum court receives a request for the 35
levy of volunteer fire department dues for a volunteer fire department whose 36 As Engrossed: H3/19/25 HB1416
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fire protection district covers an unincorporated area of the county and the 1
request has been signed by the fire chief and the chair and secretary of the 2
board of directors, if any, of a volunteer fire department whose fire 3
protection district covers an unincorporated area of the county and filed 4
with the county clerk, the quorum court by ordinance shall call for an 5
election on the issue of the levy of the volunteer fire department dues for a 6
volunteer fire department whose fire protection district covers an 7
unincorporated area of the county on each residence and on each business 8
having an occupiable structure. 9
(b)(1) The issue may be placed on the ballot 10
at a special election by order of the quorum court in accordance with § 7 -11-11
201 et seq. 12
(2) The special election shall be held 13
by August 1. 14
(c) If an attested petition is filed with the 15
county clerk and signed by a majority of registered voters in the volunteer 16
fire department district whose fire protection district covers an 17
unincorporated area of the county voting in the immediately preceding general 18
election, then the quorum court by ordinance shall dispense with a special 19
election on the issue of the levy of volunteer fire department dues for a 20
volunteer fire department whose fire protection district covers an 21
unincorporated area of the county . 22
(d)(1) If the levy of volunteer fire 23
department dues for a volunteer fire department whose fire protection 24
district covers an unincorporated area of the county is approved by a 25
majority of those voting on the issue or the county clerk determines that the 26
number of signatures of registered voters is sufficient and the quorum court 27
dispenses with a special election, the volunteer fire department dues for the 28
volunteer fire department whose fire protection district covers an 29
unincorporated area of the county shall be listed annually on real property 30
tax statements and collected by the county collector at the same time and in 31
the same manner as real property taxes. 32
(2)(A) The county collector shall report 33
delinquencies to the volunteer fire department whose fire protection district 34
covers an unincorporated area of the county for collection. 35
(B) A volunteer fire department 36 As Engrossed: H3/19/25 HB1416
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whose fire protection district covers an unincorporated area of the county 1
may collect volunteer fire department dues for the volunteer fire department 2
whose fire protection district covers an unincorporated area of the county 3
that have become delinquent and may enforce collection by proceedings in a 4
court of proper jurisdiction. 5
(ii) The cost of the election shall be borne by the 6
volunteer fire department whose fire protection district covers an 7
unincorporated area of the county that requested the levy. 8
(2) The ordinance enacted by the quorum court shall set forth 9
the terms and conditions on which the volunteer fire department that the dues 10
for the volunteer fire department whose fire protection district covers an 11
unincorporated area of the county are to be collected by the county and for 12
the remission of the volunteer fire department dues for the volunteer fire 13
department whose fire protection district covers an unincorporated area of 14
the county to the volunteer fire department whose fire protection district 15
covers an unincorporated area of the county . 16
(3) However, an active member of a volunteer fire department 17
whose annual volunteer fire department dues for the qualifying fire 18
department whose annual volunteer fire department dues for the volunteer fire 19
department whose fire protection district covers an unincorporated area of 20
the county are collected in this manner may be exempt from the annual 21
volunteer fire department dues for the volunteer fire department whose fire 22
protection district covers an unincorporated area of the county at the 23
discretion of the volunteer fire department whose fire protection district 24
covers an unincorporated area of the county in consideration of providing 25
services to the volunteer fire department whose fire protection district 26
covers an unincorporated area of the county . 27
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SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 14-20-108(f)-(h), concerning dues for 29
volunteer fire departments, is amended to read as follows: 30
(f) At the discretion of a volunteer fire department whose fire 31
protection district covers an unincorporated area of the county , a church 32
served by a volunteer fire department whose fire protection district covers 33
an unincorporated area of the county may be exempt from volunteer fire 34
department dues for a volunteer fire department whose fire protection 35
district covers an unincorporated area of the county if the church is exempt 36 As Engrossed: H3/19/25 HB1416
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from real property taxes. 1
(g)(1)(A) By December 15 of each year or upon the creation of a 2
volunteer fire department whose fire protection covers an unincorporated area 3
of the county, a volunteer fire department whose fire protection covers an 4
unincorporated area of the county that uses or intends to use the county 5
collector for collection of the volunteer fire department dues for a 6
volunteer fire department whose fire protection district covers an 7
unincorporated area of the county shall file an annual report with the county 8
clerk in any county in which a portion of the volunteer fire department whose 9
fire protection district covers an unincorporated area of the county is 10
located. 11
(B) The county clerk shall not charge any costs or fees 12
for filing the annual report. 13
(C) The volunteer fire department whose fire protection 14
district covers an unincorporated area of the county shall deliver a filed 15
copy of the annual report to the county collector within five (5) days of 16
filing. 17
(2) The annual report shall contain the following information as 18
of December 15 of the current calendar year: 19
(A) Identification of the volunteer fire department board 20
members whose fire protection district covers an unincorporated area of the 21
county and contact information; 22
(B) The contact information for the volunteer fire 23
department chief whose fire protection district covers an unincorporated area 24
of the county; 25
(C) Information concerning to whom the official designated 26
to remit the volunteer fire department dues for the volunteer fire department 27
whose fire protection district covers an unincorporated area of the county is 28
to pay volunteer fire department the dues for the volunteer fire department 29
whose fire protection district covers an unincorporated area of the county ; 30
and 31
(D) The amount of the annual dues charged by the volunteer 32
fire department whose fire protection district covers an unincorporated area 33
of the county by parcel or on each residence or business having an occupiable 34
structure. 35
(h) The official designated to remit the volunteer fire department 36 As Engrossed: H3/19/25 HB1416
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dues for a volunteer fire department whose fire protection district covers an 1
unincorporated area of the county under this section shall not remit the dues 2
collected by the county collector to any volunteer fire department whose fire 3
protection district covers an unincorporated area of the county until the 4
annual report has been filed. 5
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/s/L. Johnson 8
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APPROVED: 4/16/25 11
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