2007 Minnesota Statutes

69.011 QUALIFYING FOR STATE AID.
    Subdivision 1. Definitions. Unless the language or context clearly indicates that a different
meaning is intended, the following words and terms shall for the purposes of this chapter and
chapters 423, 423A, 424 and 424A have the meanings ascribed to them:
(a) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of revenue.
(b) "Municipality" means:
(1) a home rule charter or statutory city;
(2) an organized town;
(3) a park district subject to chapter 398;
(4) the University of Minnesota;
(5) for purposes of the fire state aid program only, an American Indian tribal government
entity located within a federally recognized American Indian reservation;
(6) for purposes of the police state aid program only, an American Indian tribal government
with a tribal police department which exercises state arrest powers under section 626.90, 626.91,
626.92, or 626.93;
(7) for purposes of the police state aid program only, the Metropolitan Airports Commission
with respect to peace officers covered under chapter 422A; and
(8) for purposes of the police state aid program only, the Department of Natural Resources
and the Department of Public Safety with respect to peace officers covered under chapter 352B.
(c) "Minnesota Firetown Premium Report" means a form prescribed by the commissioner
containing space for reporting by insurers of fire, lightning, sprinkler leakage and extended
coverage premiums received upon risks located or to be performed in this state less return
premiums and dividends.
(d) "Firetown" means the area serviced by any municipality having a qualified fire
department or a qualified incorporated fire department having a subsidiary volunteer firefighters'
relief association.
(e) "Market value" means latest available market value of all property in a taxing jurisdiction,
whether the property is subject to taxation, or exempt from ad valorem taxation obtained from
information which appears on abstracts filed with the commissioner of revenue or equalized
by the State Board of Equalization.
(f) "Minnesota Aid to Police Premium Report" means a form prescribed by the commissioner
for reporting by each fire and casualty insurer of all premiums received upon direct business
received by it in this state, or by its agents for it, in cash or otherwise, during the preceding
calendar year, with reference to insurance written for insuring against the perils contained in
auto insurance coverages as reported in the Minnesota business schedule of the annual financial
statement which each insurer is required to file with the commissioner in accordance with the
governing laws or rules less return premiums and dividends.
(g) "Peace officer" means any person:
(1) whose primary source of income derived from wages is from direct employment by a
municipality or county as a law enforcement officer on a full-time basis of not less than 30 hours
per week;
(2) who has been employed for a minimum of six months prior to December 31 preceding
the date of the current year's certification under subdivision 2, clause (b);
(3) who is sworn to enforce the general criminal laws of the state and local ordinances;
(4) who is licensed by the Peace Officers Standards and Training Board and is authorized to
arrest with a warrant; and
(5) who is a member of a local police relief association to which section 69.77 applies,
the State Patrol retirement plan, the public employees police and fire fund, or the Minneapolis
Employees Retirement Fund.
(h) "Full-time equivalent number of peace officers providing contract service" means the
integral or fractional number of peace officers which would be necessary to provide the contract
service if all peace officers providing service were employed on a full-time basis as defined by the
employing unit and the municipality receiving the contract service.
(i) "Retirement benefits other than a service pension" means any disbursement authorized
under section 424A.05, subdivision 3, clauses (2), (3), and (4).
(j) "Municipal clerk, municipal clerk-treasurer, or county auditor" means the person who was
elected or appointed to the specified position or, in the absence of the person, another person who
is designated by the applicable governing body. In a park district, the clerk is the secretary of
the board of park district commissioners. In the case of the University of Minnesota, the clerk
is that official designated by the Board of Regents. For the Metropolitan Airports Commission,
the clerk is the person designated by the commission. For the Department of Natural Resources
or the Department of Public Safety, the clerk is the respective commissioner. For a tribal police
department which exercises state arrest powers under section 626.90, 626.91, 626.92, or 626.93,
the clerk is the person designated by the applicable American Indian tribal government.
    Subd. 2. Qualification for fire or police state aid. (a) In order to qualify to receive fire state
aid, on or before March 15 annually, in conjunction with the financial report required pursuant to
section 69.051, the clerk of each municipality having a duly organized fire department as provided
in subdivision 4, or the secretary of each independent nonprofit firefighting corporation having a
subsidiary incorporated firefighters' relief association whichever is applicable, and the fire chief,
shall jointly certify the existence of the municipal fire department or of the independent nonprofit
firefighting corporation, whichever is applicable, which meets the minimum qualification
requirements set forth in this subdivision, and the fire personnel and equipment of the municipal
fire department or the independent nonprofit firefighting corporation as of the preceding December
31. Certification shall be made to the commissioner on a form prescribed by the commissioner
and shall include any other facts the commissioner may require. The certification shall be made to
the commissioner in duplicate. Each copy of the certificate shall be duly executed and deemed
an original. The commissioner shall forward one copy to the auditor of the county wherein the
fire department is located and retain one copy.
(b) On or before March 15 annually the clerk of each municipality having a duly organized
police department and having a duly incorporated relief association shall certify that fact to the
county auditor of the county where the police department is located and to the commissioner
on a form prescribed by the commissioner together with the other facts the commissioner or
auditor may require.
Except as provided in subdivision 2b, on or before March 15 annually, the clerk of each
municipality and the auditor of each county employing one or more peace officers as defined in
subdivision 1, clause (g), shall certify the number of such peace officers to the commissioner on
forms prescribed by the commissioner. Credit for officers employed less than a full year shall be
apportioned. Each full month of employment of a qualifying officer during the calendar year shall
entitle the employing municipality or county to credit for 1/12 of the payment for employment of
a peace officer for the entire year. For purposes of sections 69.011 to 69.051, employment of a
peace officer shall commence when the peace officer is entered on the payroll of the respective
municipal police department or county sheriff's department. No peace officer shall be included
in the certification of the number of peace officers by more than one municipality or county
for the same month.
    Subd. 2a. Metropolitan Airports Commission. The Metropolitan Airports Commission
shall apply for all police state aid that it is eligible to receive on behalf of employees covered
under chapter 422A.
    Subd. 2b. Departments of Natural Resources and Public Safety. (a) On or before each
March 15, the commissioner of natural resources shall certify the number of peace officers as
defined in subdivision 1, clause (g), employed by the Enforcement Division and the commissioner
of public safety shall certify the number of peace officers as defined in subdivision 1, clause (g),
employed by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Gambling Enforcement Division, and
the State Patrol Division.
(b) The certification must be on a form prescribed by the commissioner. Peace officers
certified under this paragraph must be included in the total certifications under subdivision 2.
    Subd. 2c. Ineligibility of certain police officers. A police officer employed by the University
of Minnesota who is required by the Board of Regents to be a member of the University of
Minnesota faculty retirement plan is not eligible to be included in any police state-aid certification
under this section.
    Subd. 3. Failure to file certificate deemed waiver. If a certification required by this section
is not filed with the commissioner by the due date prescribed by this section, the commissioner
shall notify the municipality or the nonprofit fire fighting corporation that a portion or all of its
current year aid will be forfeited if the certification is not received within ten days. The amount
of aid forfeited is equal to the amount of state police aid or state fire aid determined for the
municipality or fire fighting corporation for the current year, multiplied by five percent for
each week or fraction of a week that this certification is late. The penalty will be computed
beginning ten days after the postmark date of the commissioner's notification as required under
this subdivision. All forfeited aid amounts revert to the general fund in the state treasury. Failure
to receive the certificate form cannot be used as a defense for not filing.
    Subd. 4. Qualification for state aid. Any municipality in this state having for more than
one year an organized fire department and officially established by the governing body of the
municipality or an independent nonprofit fire fighting corporation created under the nonprofit
corporation act of this state and operating exclusively for fire fighting purposes and providing
retirement and relief benefits to its members or having a separate subsidiary incorporated
firefighter's relief and pension association providing retirement and relief benefits may qualify to
receive state aid if it meets the following minimum requirements or equivalent as determined by
the state fire marshal by July 1, 1972:
(a) ten paid or volunteer firefighters including a fire chief and assistant fire chief, and
(b) regular scheduled meetings and frequent drills including instructions in fire fighting
tactics and in the use, care, and operation of all fire apparatus and equipment, and
(c) a motorized fire truck equipped with a motorized pump, 250 gallon or larger water tank,
300 feet of one inch or larger fire hose in two lines with combination spray and straight stream
nozzles, five-gallon hand pumps--tank extinguisher or equivalent, dry chemical extinguisher or
equivalent, ladders, extension ladders, pike poles, crow bars, axes, lanterns, fire coats, helmets,
boots, and
(d) apparatus suitably housed in a building of good construction with facilities for care
of hose and equipment, and
(e) a reliable and adequate method of receiving fire alarms by telephone or with electric siren
and suitable means of sounding an alarm, and
(f) if response is to be provided outside the corporate limits of the municipality wherein the
fire department is located, the municipality has another piece of motorized apparatus to make
the response, and
(g) other requirements the commissioner establishes by rule.
    Subd. 5.[Repealed, 2005 c 136 art 9 s 15]
History: 1969 c 1001 s 2; 1971 c 695 s 1; Ex1971 c 6 s 1-3; 1973 c 123 art 5 s 7; 1973 c 582
s 3; 1976 c 315 s 1-3; 1977 c 429 s 4,5,63; 1981 c 68 s 3,4; 1981 c 224 s 19,274; 1982 c 424 s 14;
1982 c 460 s 1; 1983 c 101 s 1; 1983 c 113 s 1; 1984 c 592 s 64; 1985 c 248 s 70; 1985 c 261 s 1;
1986 c 359 s 4,5; 1986 c 444; 1Sp1986 c 3 art 1 s 11; 1987 c 268 art 2 s 19,20; 1988 c 719 art 5 s
84; 1989 c 277 art 1 s 3; 1989 c 329 art 13 s 20; 1991 c 291 art 13 s 1,2; 1992 c 596 s 1,2; 1994 c
498 s 1; 1997 c 233 art 1 s 6-8; 1Sp2001 c 10 art 5 s 1; 1Sp2005 c 8 art 4 s 1; art 10 s 2