FIRST REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 407
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR MOSLEY.
0050S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To amend chapter 321, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to fire protection
districts.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 321, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto 1
one new section, to be known as section 321.731, to read as 2
follows:3
321.731. 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of 1
law to the contrary, in any fire protection district which 2
is located within, or which adjoins a fire protection 3
district which is located within, in whole or in part, a 4
street light maintenance district with a registration of 5
more than one thousand but less than three thousand voters, 6
or which is wholly located within a street light maintenance 7
district with a registration of mor e than five hundred but 8
less than one thousand voters, and that is located within a 9
county with a charter form of government and with more than 10
nine hundred fifty thousand inhabitants, the board of 11
election commissioners sitting as an apportionment 12
commission of such county shall establish one ward for each 13
district director for the purpose of electing directors of 14
such districts. In the event of a tie vote for adoption of 15
an apportionment or re -apportionment of wards, the 16
chairperson of the affec ted fire district shall break the 17
tie. 18 SB 407 2
2. The ward boundaries shall be drawn by the 19
commissioners within ninety days after the effective date of 20
this act and within six months after each decennial census 21
is reported to the president of the United States. 22
3. The commissioners shall apportion the wards by 23
dividing the population, determined by the preceding 24
decennial census, of the district by the number of directors 25
and shall establish each ward so that the population of that 26
ward shall, as nearly as possible, equal that figure or be 27
within one percent thereof. Each ward shall be composed of 28
contiguous territory as compact as may be. 29
4. All directors elected or appointed in such 30
districts shall be elected or appointed to represen t one of 31
the wards, beginning with the first general municipal 32
election or vacancy occurring after the effective date of 33
this act. Each member shall reside for one year prior to 34
the date of his or her election in the ward from which he or 35
she is elected or, in the case of a vacancy, the ward from 36
which he or she is appointed; and shall forfeit their office 37
if they remove their residence from the ward. Such vacancy 38
may be declared, after notice and a hearing, and the office 39
filled by the remaining members of the board as provided by 40
law. 41
5. Elected members of the board in office on the 42
effective date of this act shall hold office for the length 43
of the term for which they were elected and until their 44
successors are elected and qualified, a nd any members 45
appointed to fill vacancies in office occurring after the 46
effective date of this act shall serve until the next 47
general municipal election, at which time a successor shall 48
be elected to serve for the remainder of the term to which 49
the replaced member was elected. 50 SB 407 3
6. At the first general municipal election to occur 51
after the effective date of this act, at which an election 52
for a fire protection district director is scheduled to be 53
on the ballot, the elections for the seats of any expiring 54
terms or appointed terms, as provided herein, of at -large 55
board members shall be filled by persons elected from the 56
lowest-numbered wards, as those wards are created and 57
numbered by the apportionment commission. At the second 58
general municipal election to occur after the effective date 59
of this act, at which an election for a fire protection 60
district director is scheduled to be on the ballot, the 61
elections for the seats of any expiring terms or appointed 62
terms, as provided herein, of at -large board members, shall 63
be filled by persons elected from the lowest -numbered wards, 64
not filled at the prior election. At the third general 65
municipal election to occur after the effective date of this 66
act, at which an election for a fire protection district 67
director is scheduled to be on the ballot, the elections for 68
the seats of any expiring terms or appointed terms, as 69
provided herein, of at -large board members, shall be filled 70
by persons elected from the lowest -numbered wards, not 71
filled at the prior two elections. 72
7. The law governing fire protection districts shall 73
continue to apply to any district described in this section, 74
except as expressly provided in this section. 75