SENATE COMMUNITY AND URBAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3526

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  OCTOBER 1, 2026

      The Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 3526.

As reported, this bill authorizes any county to establish a “Fire Academy Trust Fund” into which it would deposit all fees paid by individuals registering for courses at the county fire academy and from which expenditures would be disbursed exclusively for the procurement of equipment, ongoing maintenance and supplies, and associated services necessary to operate and maintain the county fire academy.

      By allowing counties to establish a trust fund for revenue generated from individuals paying a course registration fee at county fire academies, this bill permits these revenues to be dedicated to covering the costs of the fire academies beyond the one-year budget cycle otherwise provided for in the “Local Budget Law.”  Without this amendment, these funds would lapse into the county budget surplus at the end of any given budget year.