Missouri 2025 Regular Session

Missouri Senate Bill SB602 Compare Versions

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22 FIRST REGULAR SESSION
33 SENATE BILL NO. 602
44 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
55 INTRODUCED BY SENATOR GREGORY (21).
66 2318S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
77 AN ACT
88 To repeal section 321.220, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof one new section relating to fire
99 protection districts, with penalty provisions.
1010
1111 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
1212 Section A. Section 321.220, RSMo, is repealed and one new 1
1313 section enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as section 321.220, 2
1414 to read as follows:3
1515 321.220. For the purpose of providing fire protection 1
1616 to the property within the district, the district and, on 2
1717 its behalf, the board shall have the following powers, 3
1818 authority and privileges: 4
1919 (1) To have perpetual existence; 5
2020 (2) To have and use a corporate seal; 6
2121 (3) To sue and be sued, and be a party to suits, 7
2222 actions and proceedings; 8
2323 (4) To enter into contracts, franchises and agreements 9
2424 with any person, partnership, association or corporation, 10
2525 public or private, affecting the affairs of the district, 11
2626 including contracts with any municipality, district or 12
2727 state, or the United States of America, and any of their 13
2828 agencies, political subdivisions or instrumentalities, for 14
2929 the planning, development, construction, acquisition or 15
3030 operation of any public improvement or facility, or for a 16
3131 common service relating to the control or prevention of 17
3232 fires, including the installation, operation and maintenance 18 SB 602 2
3333 of water supply distribution, fire hydrant and fire alarm 19
3434 systems; provided, that a notice shall be published for bids 20
3535 on all construction or purchase contracts for work or 21
3636 material or both, outsi de the authority contained in 22
3737 subdivision (9) of this section, involving an expense of ten 23
3838 thousand dollars or more; 24
3939 (5) Upon approval of the voters as herein provided, to 25
4040 borrow money and incur indebtedness and evidence the same by 26
4141 certificates, notes or debentures, and to issue bonds, in 27
4242 accordance with the provisions of this chapter; 28
4343 (6) To acquire, construct, purchase, maintain, dispose 29
4444 of and encumber real and personal property, fire stations, 30
4545 fire protection and fire -fighting apparatus and auxiliary 31
4646 equipment therefor, and any interest therein, including 32
4747 leases and easements; 33
4848 (7) To refund any bonded indebtedness of the district 34
4949 without an election. The terms and conditions of refunding 35
5050 bonds shall be substantially the sam e as those of the 36
5151 original issue of bonds, and the board shall provide for the 37
5252 payment of interest, at not to exceed the legal rate, and 38
5353 the principal of such refunding bonds in the same manner as 39
5454 is provided for the payment of interest and principal o f 40
5555 bonds refunded; 41
5656 (8) To have the management, control and supervision of 42
5757 all the business and affairs of the district, and the 43
5858 construction, installation, operation and maintenance of 44
5959 district improvements therein; 45
6060 (9) To hire and retain ag ents, employees, engineers 46
6161 and attorneys, including part -time or volunteer firemen; 47
6262 (10) To have and exercise the power of eminent domain 48
6363 and in the manner provided by law for the condemnation of 49
6464 private property for public use to take any propert y within 50 SB 602 3
6565 the district necessary to the exercise of the powers herein 51
6666 granted; 52
6767 (11) To receive and accept by bequest, gift or 53
6868 donation any kind of property. Notwithstanding any other 54
6969 provision of law to the contrary, any property received by 55
7070 the fire protection district as a gift or any property 56
7171 purchased by the fire protection district at a price below 57
7272 the actual market value of the property may be returned to 58
7373 the donor or resold to the seller if such property is not 59
7474 used for the specific pu rpose for which it was acquired; 60
7575 (12) (a) To adopt and amend bylaws, fire protection 61
7676 and fire prevention ordinances, and any other rules and 62
7777 regulations not in conflict with the constitution and laws 63
7878 of this state, necessary for the carrying on o f the 64
7979 business, objects and affairs of the board and of the 65
8080 district, and refer to the proper authorities for 66
8181 prosecution any infraction thereof detrimental to the 67
8282 district. Any person violating any such ordinance is hereby 68
8383 declared to be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction 69
8484 thereof shall be punished as is provided by law therefor. 70
8585 The prosecuting attorney for the county in which the 71
8686 violation occurs shall prosecute such violations in the 72
8787 circuit court of that county. The legal officer or attorney 73
8888 for the fire district may be appointed by the prosecuting 74
8989 attorney as special assistant prosecuting attorney for the 75
9090 prosecution of any such violation. The enactments of the 76
9191 fire district in delegating administrative authority to 77
9292 officials of the district may provide standards of action 78
9393 for the administrative officials, which standards are 79
9494 declared as industrial codes adopted by nationally organized 80
9595 and recognized trade bodies. The board shall have the power 81
9696 to adopt an ordinance, rule , or regulation allowing the 82 SB 602 4
9797 district to charge individuals who reside outside of the 83
9898 district, but who receive emergency services within the 84
9999 boundaries of the district, for the actual and reasonable 85
100100 cost of such services. However, such actual and rea sonable 86
101101 costs shall not exceed one hundred dollars for responding to 87
102102 each fire call or alarm and two hundred fifty dollars for 88
103103 each hour or a proportional sum for each quarter hour spent 89
104104 in combating a fire or emergency ; 90
105105 (b) Notwithstanding parag raph (a) of this subdivision, 91
106106 fire protection and fire prevention ordinances shall not be 92
107107 exercised so as to impose regulations or require permits 93
108108 with respect to the erection, maintenance, repair, 94
109109 alteration, or extension of farm buildings or farm 95
110110 structures; 96
111111 (13) To pay all court costs and expenses connected 97
112112 with the first election or any subsequent election in the 98
113113 district; 99
114114 (14) To have and exercise all rights and powers 100
115115 necessary or incidental to or implied from the specific 101
116116 powers granted herein. Such specific powers shall not be 102
117117 considered as a limitation upon any power necessary or 103
118118 appropriate to carry out the purposes and intent of this 104
119119 chapter; 105
120120 (15) To provide for health, accident, disability and 106
121121 pension benefits for the salaried members of its organized 107
122122 fire department of the district and such other benefits for 108
123123 their spouses and eligible unemancipated children, through 109
124124 either or both a contributory or noncontributory plan. For 110
125125 purposes of this section, "eligible unemancipated child" 111
126126 means a natural or adopted child of an insured, or a 112
127127 stepchild of an insured who is domiciled with the insured, 113
128128 who is less than twenty -three years of age, who is not 114 SB 602 5
129129 married, not employed on a full -time basis, not maintaining 115
130130 a separate residence except for full -time students in an 116
131131 accredited school or institution of higher learning, and who 117
132132 is dependent on parents or guardians for at least fifty 118
133133 percent of his or her support. The type and amount of such 119
134134 benefits shall be de termined by the board of directors of 120
135135 the fire protection district within the level of available 121
136136 revenues of the pension program and other available revenues 122
137137 of the district. If an employee contributory plan is 123
138138 adopted, then at least one voting member of the board of 124
139139 trustees shall be a member of the fire district elected by 125
140140 the contributing members, which shall not be the same as the 126
141141 board of directors; 127
142142 (16) To contract with any municipality that is 128
143143 contiguous to a fire protection district f or the fire 129
144144 protection district to provide fire protection to the 130
145145 municipality for a fee as hereinafter provided; 131
146146 (17) To provide for life insurance, accident, 132
147147 sickness, health, disability, annuity, length of service, 133
148148 pension, retirement and othe r employee-type fringe benefits, 134
149149 subject to the provisions of section 70.615, for the 135
150150 volunteer members of any organized fire department of the 136
151151 district and such other benefits for their spouses and 137
152152 eligible unemancipated children, through either a 138
153153 contributory or noncontributory plan, or both. For purposes 139
154154 of this section, "eligible unemancipated child" means a 140
155155 natural or adopted child of an insured, or a stepchild of an 141
156156 insured who is domiciled with the insured, who is less than 142
157157 twenty-three years of age, who is not married, not employed 143
158158 on a full-time basis, not maintaining a separate residence 144
159159 except for full-time students in an accredited school or 145
160160 institution of higher learning, and who is dependent on 146 SB 602 6
161161 parents or guardians for at least fi fty percent of his or 147
162162 her support. The type and amount of such benefits shall be 148
163163 determined by the board of directors of the fire protection 149
164164 district within available revenues of the district, 150
165165 including the pension program of the district. The 151
166166 provision and receipt of such benefits shall not make the 152
167167 recipient an employee of the district. Directors who are 153
168168 also volunteer members may receive such benefits while 154
169169 serving as a director of the district; 155
170170 (18) To contract for services with any rur al, 156
171171 volunteer or subscription fire department or organization, 157
172172 or volunteer fire protection association, as defined in 158
173173 section 320.300, for the purpose of providing the benefits 159
174174 described in subdivision (17) of this section. 160
175175