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Governor Proposes Taking Funds from Dedicated Firefighter Training Account

The governor has identified the Fire Safety Account as a source of funds to help balance the state’s ailing budget.
(Published Feb 24, 2010)

A portion of funds dedicated to firefighter training will be diverted to the state’s general fund if Gov. Pawlenty has his way. The governor is proposing to divert $6.9 million from the fund in 2010 and another $3 million in 2011 to the state’s general fund. The proposal would leave about $1 million per year in the account.

The League recognizes this proposal as another potential loss of revenue for local units of government and will oppose this diversion of funds. Other opponents of using the Fire Safety Surcharge for budget balancing include: the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association, the Minnesota State Fire Department Association, the Minnesota Professional Fire Fighters, the Fire Marshals Association of Minnesota, the International Association of Arson Investigators (Minnesota Chapter), the Minnesota Area Relief Association Coalition, the National Fire Sprinkler Association (Minnesota Chapter), and the Insurance Federation of Minnesota.

Since 2007, under a statute signed into law by Gov. Pawlenty, homeowners and commercial property owners have paid a “fire safety surcharge” of 0.65 percent on insurance premiums. The surcharge, which is listed as a line item on policyholders’ statements, is deposited into the Fire Safety Account. The account is used for firefighter training, state chemical and decontamination response teams, and the State Fire Marshall’s office. The average homeowner pays $5.20 into the fund annually.

Since its creation, the Fire Safety Account has provided $2 million to partially reimburse over 400 fire departments for training expenses. According to a representative of the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association, the requests for reimbursement from the account total approximately $5 million. Even though the account has the funds to accommodate all requests, the dollars have not been allocated because the Legislature and governor must first approve the expenditure. The $3 million in requests that have not been reimbursed must then be borne by local property taxpayers.

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