Effective 28 Aug 1999

321.600. Powers of board in providing fire protection — employee benefits plan (first class counties). — For the purpose of providing fire protection to the property within the district, the district and, on its behalf, the board shall have the following powers, authority and privileges:

(1) To have perpetual existence;

(2) To have and use a corporate seal;

(3) To sue and be sued, and be a party to suits, actions and proceedings;

(4) To enter into contracts, franchises and agreements with any person, partnership, association or corporation, public or private, affecting the affairs of the district, including contracts with any municipality, district or state, or the United States of America, and any of their agencies, political subdivisions or instrumentalities, for the planning, development, construction, acquisition or operation of any public improvement or facility, or for a common service relating to the control or prevention of fires, including the installation, operation and maintenance of water supply distribution, fire hydrant and fire alarm systems; provided, that a notice shall be published for bids on all construction or purchase contracts for work or material or both, outside the authority contained in subdivision (9) of this section, involving an expense of ten thousand dollars or more;

(5) Upon approval of the voters, as herein provided, to borrow money and incur indebtedness and evidence the same by certificates, notes or debentures, and to issue bonds, in accordance with the provisions of sections 321.010 to 321.450;

(6) To acquire, construct, purchase, maintain, dispose of and encumber real and personal property, fire stations, fire protection and fire-fighting apparatus and auxiliary equipment therefor, and any interest therein, including leases and easements;

(7) To refund any bonded indebtedness of the district without an election. The terms and conditions of refunding bonds shall be substantially the same as those of the original issue of bonds, and the board shall provide for the payment of interest, at not to exceed the legal rate, and the principal of such refunding bonds in the same manner as is provided for the payment of interest and principal of bonds refunded;

(8) To have the management, control and supervision of all the business and affairs of the district, and the construction, installation, operation and maintenance of district improvements therein;

(9) To hire and retain agents, employees, engineers and attorneys, including part-time or volunteer firemen;

(10) To have and exercise the power of eminent domain and in the manner provided by law for the condemnation of private property for public use to take any property within the district necessary to the exercise of the powers herein granted;

(11) To receive and accept by bequest, gift or donation any kind of property. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any property received by the fire protection district as a gift or any property purchased by the fire protection district at a price below the actual market value of the property may be returned to the donor or resold to the seller if such property is not used for the specific purpose for which it was acquired;

(12) To adopt and amend bylaws, fire protection and fire prevention ordinances, and any other rules and regulations not in conflict with the constitution and laws of this state, necessary for the carrying on of the business, objects and affairs of the board and of the district, and refer to the proper authorities for prosecution any violation thereof detrimental to the district. Any person violating any such ordinance is hereby declared to be guilty of a class B misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished as is provided herein:

(a) The prosecuting attorney for the county in which the violation occurs shall prosecute such violations in the circuit court of that county. The legal officer or attorney for the fire district may be appointed by the prosecuting attorney as special assistant prosecuting attorney for the prosecution of any such violation; or

(b) The board may adopt a specific ordinance to impose a fine or a series of fines for specific offenses of not more than five hundred dollars. The accused person may either appear in court at a set date or make payment to the officer appointed by the board, either in person or through the United States mail, with the moneys handled as are all other moneys of the district. If the fine is not paid by the deadline imposed, the violation and the failure to pay the fine or appear in court at the set date may be further prosecuted as provided in paragraph (a) of this subdivision. The enactments of the fire district in delegating administrative authority to officials of the district may provide standards of action for the administrative officials, which standards are declared as industrial codes adopted by nationally organized and recognized trade bodies;

(13) To pay all court costs and expenses connected with the first election or any subsequent election in the district;

(14) To have and exercise all rights and powers necessary or incidental to or implied from the specific powers granted herein. Such specific powers shall not be considered as a limitation upon any power necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes and intent of sections 321.010 to 321.450;

(15) To provide for health, accident, disability, and pension benefits, through either or both a contributory or noncontributory plan, of the salaried members and such other benefits for their spouses and eligible unemancipated children of its organized fire department of the district. For purposes of this section, "eligible unemancipated child" means a natural or adopted child of an insured, or a stepchild of an insured who is domiciled with the insured, who is less than twenty-three years of age, who is not married, not employed on a full-time basis, not maintaining a separate residence except for full-time students in an accredited school or institution of higher learning, and who is dependent on parents or guardians for at least fifty percent of his or her support. Such benefits shall be determined by the board of directors of the fire protection district within the level of available revenues of the pension program and other available revenues of the district. If an employee contributory plan is adopted, then at least one voting member of the board of trustees shall be a member of the fire district elected by the contributing members, which shall not be the same as the board of directors;

(16) To provide for life insurance, accident, sickness, health, disability, annuity, uniform, length of service, pension, retirement and other employee-type fringe benefits, subject to the provisions of section 70.615, through either a contributory or noncontributory plan or both, for the volunteer members and such other benefits for their spouses and minor children of any organized fire department of the district. The type and amount of such benefits shall be determined by the board of directors of the fire protection district within available revenues of the district, including the pension program of the district. The provision and receipt of such benefits shall not make the recipient an employee of the district. Directors who are also volunteer members may receive such benefits while serving as a director of the district;

(17) To contract for services with any rural, volunteer or subscription fire department or organization, or volunteer fire protection association, as defined in section 320.300, for the purpose of providing the benefits described in subdivision (16) of this section.

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(L. 1947 V. I p. 432 § 23, A.L. 1961 p. 550, A.L. 1965 p. 509, A.L. 1969 H.B. 334 § 321.220, A.L. 1978 H.B. 971, S.B. 628, A.L. 1982 S.B. 649, A.L. 1989 H.B. 487, A.L. 1990 H.B. 1395 & 1448 merged with H.B. 1675, A.L. 1992 S.B. 649, A.L. 1993 H.B. 373, A.L. 1995 H.B. 452, et al., A.L. 1999 S.B. 436)