{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-75.031","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 75.031","heading":"Trustees, elections, appointments, terms -- Continued service upon","body":"establishment of consolidated local government -- Vacancies -- Removal --\nElections for part of trustees -- Officers.\n(1) (a) 1. Upon creation of a fire protection district or a vo lunteer fire department\ndistrict as provided in KRS 75.010, the affairs of the district shall be\nconducted by the board of trustees consisting of seven (7) members,\nfour (4) to be elected by the members of the district as hereinafter set out\nand three (3) to be appointed by the county judge/executive or the mayor\nin a consolidated local government pursuant to the provisions of KRS\n67C.139.\n2. Two (2) members of the board of trustees shall be elected by the\nmembers of the firefighters of the district and sha ll be full -time paid\nemployees of the district or members of the district who personally\nreside in the district.\n3. Two (2) members of the board of trustees shall be property owners who\nown real or personal property which is subject to the fire protection tax\npursuant to KRS 75.040, who personally reside in the district, and who\nare not active firefighters and shall be elected by the property owners of\nthe district. Property owners voting to select representatives to the board\nof trustees shall have attained the age of eighteen (18).\n4. The county judge/executive of the county in which the greater part of\nthe district is located shall, with the approval of the fiscal court, appoint\nthree (3) members of the board of trustees who personally reside in the\ndistrict. In counties containing a city of the first class, trustees appointed\nby the county judge/executive to serve in volunteer fire prevention\ndistricts shall reside within the boundaries of that county. In counties\ngoverned by a consolidated local governme nt, trustees appointed by the\nmayor to serve in volunteer fire prevention districts shall reside within\nthe boundaries of the consolidated local government.\n5. At the first election held after the district is formed, one (1) firefighter\nshall be elected to  serve on the board of trustees for a period of one (1)\nyear and one (1) for a period of three (3) years, and one (1)\nnonfirefighter property owner shall be elected to serve on the board of\ntrustees for a period of two (2) years and one (1) for a period of  four (4)\nyears. On the expiration of the respective terms, the successor to each\nshall have the same qualifications as his or her predecessor and shall be\nelected for a term of four (4) years. The original appointed members of\nthe board of trustees shall be appointed for terms of one (1), two (2), and\nthree (3) years respectively. On the expiration of the respective terms,\nthe successors to each shall be appointed for a term of three (3) years.\n6. Upon the establishment of a consolidated local government, incumbent\nmembers shall continue to serve until the expiration of their current term\nof office.\n7. In the event of a vacancy in the term of an appointed or elected trustee,\nthe county judge/executive shall appoint with the approval of the fiscal\ncourt a tr ustee for the remainder of the term, except in a county\ncontaining a consolidated local government. In a county containing a\nconsolidated local government, the mayor pursuant to the provisions of\nKRS 67C.139 shall appoint a trustee for the remainder of the term.\n(b) An appointed trustee may be removed from office as provided by KRS\n65.007.\n(c) 1. No person shall be an elected trustee who is not a resident of the district,\nexcept as provided in subsection (1)(a)2. of this section, and who, at the\ntime of his or her election, is not a citizen of Kentucky and has not\nattained the age of twenty-one (21).\n2. Except for trustees elected under subsection (1)(a)2. of this section, a\nvacancy shall be declared to exist if an elected trustee no longer resides\nwithin the boundaries of the district at any time during his or her term of\noffice.\n(d) Unless otherwi se provided by law, an elected firefighter trustee may be\nremoved from office by the mayor of a consolidated local government, or in a\ncounty not containing a consolidated local government, by the county\njudge/executive of the county in which the greater p art of the district is\nlocated. An elected firefighter trustee may be removed after a hearing with\nnotice as required by KRS Chapter 424, for inefficiency, neglect of duty,\nmalfeasance, or conflict of interest. The hearing shall be initiated and chaired\nby the county judge/executive of a county or the mayor of a consolidated local\ngovernment, who shall prepare a written statement setting forth the reasons\nfor removal. The trustee to be removed shall be notified of his or her proposed\nremoval and the reasons  for the proposed removal by registered mail sent to\nhis or her last known address at least ten (10) days prior to the hearing. The\nperson proposed to be removed may employ counsel to represent him or her.\nA record of the hearing shall be made by the count y judge/executive or mayor\nrespectively.\n(e) The removal of an elected firefighter trustee of a fire protection district shall\nbe subject to the approval of the fiscal court of the county in which the greater\npart of the district is located in those counti es not containing a consolidated\nlocal government or the legislative council in a county containing a\nconsolidated local government.\n(f) An elected firefighter trustee removed pursuant to paragraphs (d) and (e) of\nthis subsection may appeal, within ten (10 ) days of the rendering of the\ndecision of the fiscal court or legislative council, respectively, to the Circuit\nCourt of the county in which the greater part of the district is located. The\nscope of the appeal shall be limited to whether the county judge/ executive,\nmayor, legislative council, or the fiscal court respectively, abused their\ndiscretion in removing the trustee.\n(2) The elective offices of members of the board of trustees shall be filled by an\nelection to be held once each year on the fourth Sa turday of June between the hours\nof 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The polls shall be located at the principal fire house in\nthe district. The date, time, and place of the election shall be advertised in\naccordance with KRS 424.120. This notice shall be advertis ed at least thirty (30)\ndays prior to the election date and shall include the names and addresses of the\ncandidates to be voted on for each position of trustee. In lieu of the published notice\nfor the election of the firefighter trustees, written notice co ntaining the information\nrequired to be advertised may be sent by first -class mail to each member of the\nfirefighters of the fire protection district or volunteer fire department district,\naddressed to the firefighter at his or her residence, at least thir ty (30) days prior to\nthe election date. The nominations for candidates for trustees both representing the\nfirefighters and the property owners residing in the district shall be made in\naccordance with the bylaws of the department. The terms of the three ( 3) trustees\nappointed by the county judge/executive or mayor shall start at the same time as the\nterms of the elected trustees. On or before the beginning of the second fiscal or\ncalendar year, depending on which basis the fire protection or volunteer fire\ndepartment district is being operated, after June 16, 1966, all departments organized\nprior to June 16, 1966, shall increase their boards of trustees from three (3) to seven\n(7) members and elect the elective members in the manner set forth herein.\n(3) The trustees shall elect from their number a chairman, a secretary, and a treasurer,\nthe latter of whom shall give bond in an amount as shall be determined by the\ncounty judge/executive of the county in which the greater part of the fire protection\ndistrict is located or the mayor in a consolidated local government, conditioned\nupon the faithful discharge of the duties of his or her office, and the faithful\naccounting for all funds which may come into his or her possession as treasurer.\nThe premiums on the bonds shall be paid out of the funds of the district.","path":["KRS Chapter 75"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=56837","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:49:35Z","sha256":"f98d16af0005c22ab031a46325651140e4c342d4ffcc9417830cff4d8490c1ed","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-75.030","next":"us-ky/krs-75.040"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}