The director shall keep, or cause to be kept, an account of the cost of maintenance by the State of such fire patrol along the line of such railroad, including therein the wages and expenses of the employees engaged in maintaining such fire patrol, and the total cost thereof shall be paid to the director by the railroad company along whose land or right-of-way such patrol is maintained. All such funds received by the director shall be credited to the General Fund. [PL 1979, c. 545, §3 (NEW).]