Sec. 29. (a) The board of trustees of a fire protection district may, upon approval by the county legislative body, submit a petition to the department of local government finance for an increase in the fire protection district’s maximum permissible ad valorem property tax levy for property taxes first due and payable in 2021 or for any year thereafter for which a petition is submitted under this section.

     (b) If a petition is submitted as provided in subsection (a) before August 1, 2020, or April 1 of a year thereafter, the department of local government finance shall increase the fire protection district’s maximum permissible ad valorem property tax levy for property taxes first due and payable in the immediately succeeding year by using the following formula for purposes of subsection (c)(2):

STEP ONE: Determine the percentage increase in the population, as determined by the county legislative body and as may be prescribed by the department of local government finance, that is within the fire protection district area during the ten (10) year period immediately preceding the year in which the petition is submitted under subsection (a). The county legislative body may use the most recently available population data issued by the Bureau of the Census during the ten (10) year period immediately preceding the petition.

STEP TWO: Determine the greater of zero (0) or the result of:

(A) the STEP ONE percentage; minus

(B) six percent (6%);

expressed as a decimal.

STEP THREE: Determine a rate that is the lesser of:

(A) fifteen-hundredths (0.15); or

(B) the STEP TWO result.

STEP FOUR: Reduce the STEP THREE rate by any rate increase in the fire protection district’s property tax rate within the immediately preceding ten (10) year period that was made based on a petition submitted by the fire protection district under this section.

     (c) The fire protection district’s maximum permissible ad valorem property tax levy for property taxes first due and payable in a given year, as adjusted under this section, shall be calculated as:

(1) the amount of the ad valorem property tax levy increase for the fire protection district without regard to this section; plus

(2) an amount equal to the result of:

(A) the rate determined under the formula in subsection (b); multiplied by

(B) the net assessed value of the fire protection district area divided by one hundred (100).

The calculation under this subsection shall be used in the determination of the fire protection district’s maximum permissible ad valorem property tax levy for property taxes first due and payable in the first year of the increase and thereafter.

As added by P.L.154-2020, SEC.6.