Authorizes creation of non-lapsing fire academy trust fund by county.

S3526

SENATE, No. 3526

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� JAMES BEACH

District 6 (Burlington and Camden)

SYNOPSIS

���� Authorizes creation of non-lapsing fire academy trust
fund by county.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
authorizing the use of dedicated revenues for the
operation and maintenance of county fire academies, supplementing chapter 4 of
Title 40A of the New Jersey Statutes, and amending N.J.S.40A:4-39.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� (New section)� A county
may establish a trust fund account entitled �Fire Academy Trust Fund� into
which shall be deposited all fees paid by individuals registering for a course
at the county fire academy and from which expenditures shall be disbursed
exclusively for the procurement of equipment, ongoing maintenance and supplies,
and associated services necessary to operate and maintain the county fire
academy.

���� 2.��� N.J.S.40A:4-39 is
amended to read as follows:

���� 40A:4-39. a. In the budget of
any local unit, dedicated revenues anticipated during the fiscal year from any
dog tax, dog license, revenues collected pursuant to N.J.S.18A:39-1.2, solid
fuel license, sinking fund for term bonds, bequest, escheat, federal grant,
motor vehicle fine dedicated to road repairs, relocation costs deposited into a
revolving relocation assistance fund established pursuant to section 2 of
P.L.1987, c.98 (C.20:4-4.1a), fee revenues collected in connection with
recreation programs operated pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1999, c.292
(C.40:48-2.56), receipts from franchise assessments levied pursuant to section
4 of P.L.1995, c.173 (C.40A:12A-53) to be retained by the municipality, refund
payments from a joint insurance fund deposited into a joint insurance revolving
fund established pursuant to section 12 of P.L.1996, c.113 (C.40A:10-36.2), fee
revenues collected in connection with the "Attorney Identification Card
Program" pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2009, c.11 (C.40A:4-22.2), fee
revenues imposed on delinquent amounts owed to the county or municipality and
collected pursuant to section 37 of P.L.2000, c.126 (C.40:23-6.53) (as amended
by section 2 of P.L.2009, c.233) or section 1 of P.L.1983, c.208 (C.40:48-5a)
(as amended by section 3 of P.L.2009, c.233),
fee revenues collected in
connection with the �Fire Academy Trust Fund� pursuant to section 1 of
P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill)
and, subject to the prior written
consent of the director, other items of like character when the revenue is not
subject to reasonably accurate estimate in advance, may be included in said
budget by annexing to said budget a statement in substantially the following
form:

���� "The dedicated revenues
anticipated during the year ....... from ........ (here insert one or
more of the sources above, as the case may be) are hereby anticipated as
revenue and are hereby appropriated for the purposes to which said revenue is
dedicated by statute or other legal requirement."

���� b.��� Dedicated revenues
included in accordance with this section shall be available for expenditure by
the local unit as and when received in cash during the fiscal year.� The
inclusion of such dedicated revenues shall be subject to the approval of the
director, who may require such explanatory statements or data in connection
therewith as the director deems advisable for the information and protection of
the public.

(cf: P.L.2009, c.233, s.4)

���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill authorizes any
county to establish a �Fire Academy Trust Fund� into which it would deposit all
fees paid by individuals registering for courses at the county fire academy and
from which expenditures would be disbursed exclusively for the procurement of
equipment, ongoing maintenance and supplies, and associated services necessary
to operate and maintain the county fire academy.

���� By allowing counties to
establish a trust fund for revenue generated from individuals paying a course
registration fee at county fire academies, this bill permits these revenues to
be dedicated to covering the costs of the fire academies beyond the one-year
budget cycle otherwise provided for in the �Local Budget Law.�� Without this
amendment, these funds would lapse into the county budget surplus at the end of
any given budget year.