SB 1351 Summary

• Amends fire district board composition rules to allow three or five-member boards in districts with fewer than 4,000 residents and requires five-member boards in districts with 4,000+ residents; permits expansion to seven members if population exceeds 50,000 inhabitants.

• Modifies vacancy filling procedures for district boards, requiring appointment within 90 days and establishing clear succession rules when vacancies occur at term expiration.

• Changes fire chief designation to allow districts contracting for fire services to designate the contracted service provider's fire chief as the district's fire chief.

• Revises fire district consolidation procedures to allow consolidation without voter election if certain conditions are met, including unanimous governing board votes and compliance with large taxpayer consent requirements.

• Updates terminology throughout statutes (e.g., "chairman" to "chairperson," "fewer" to "less") and clarifies property sale procedures requiring licensed appraisals and establishing minimum bid thresholds at 75% of appraised market value, with exemptions for government entities.