BR 21 - R. Rothenburger, M. Hart

     AN ACT relating to fire protection and making an appropriation therefor.
     Amend KRS 95A.520 and 95A.540, relating to volunteer fire department mergers, to make it applicable to volunteer fire departments merging prior to the effective date of the Act; create a new section of KRS Chapter 95A to provide that for volunteer fire departments merging after the effective date of the Act, the Fire Commission shall pay to the departments the number of qualified shares of volunteer fire department aid each is entitled to for a period of 20 years after the date of the merger, upon the expiration of which the merged department receives only one share; provide contingency protocols if the merged fire department becomes unqualified; create a new section of KRS Chapter 95A to provide a contingency protocol if a new volunteer fire department is created out of the merged one during the 20 year period; create new sections of KRS Chapter 75 to allow an alternative tax rate and board structure for fire districts electing to do so; set tax rate at a maximum of $0.15 for a district, and maximum of $0.25 for a district operating the sole emergency ambulance service and make the tax subject to the recall provisions; establish a seven member board of which one is appointed by the county executive head, four are elected by persons owning property within the district, and two are firefighters of the districts elected by the firefighters of the district; set election procedures and times; amend KRS 132.023, relating to tax recall provisions, to integrate applicable fire districts, as defined in the section, within the scope of the section.