Plain English Breakdown
The official source material only expresses legislative intent and does not mandate specific actions or funding levels.
Local Funding for Public Safety Departments
This bill expresses legislative intent that counties prioritize funding for county-wide and volunteer fire departments from local funds.
What This Bill Does
- Expresses legislative intent that counties with a county-wide fire department should give priority to funding that department from the general fund or other revenue sources.
- States that the funding level for a county-wide fire department should be at least equivalent to the sheriff's department funding.
- Directs counties to prioritize funding for volunteer fire departments if they provide services to the entire county and request it.
Who It Names or Affects
- Counties with a county-wide or volunteer fire department
- Governing bodies of counties
Terms To Know
- TFIRS
- Tennessee Fire Incident Reporting System, which classifies fire departments.
- Volunteer fire department
- A fire department recognized by the state and classified as volunteer by TFIRS.
Limits and Unknowns
- The exact increase in local expenditures cannot be determined due to multiple variables.
- Requires a state share of costs for increased expenditure requirements on cities or counties according to Article II, Section 24 of the Tennessee Constitution.