Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre (D-Babylon) announced the Assembly passed legislation she authored to benefit fire districts by raising the dollar-value threshold for used items the district is authorized to sell (A.10355).

“We rely on our first responders to protect our loved ones each and every day, but they can’t do it alone,” said Jean-Pierre. “By making it easier for fire districts to sell their used equipment, we can help ensure our firefighters have the funding and resources they need to continue protecting our communities.”

Currently, fire districts are only authorized to sell used equipment valued at up to $10,000, or $50,000 if the sale is approved by the community through permissive referendum. However, these relatively low thresholds were established in 1997 and do not reflect the rising costs of doing business, noted Jean-Pierre.

To ensure fire districts have the opportunity to sell used equipment and vehicles at fair-market value, Jean-Pierre’s legislation would raise the existing dollar limits to $20,000 and $100,000, respectively.