Fire Dept Tax Increases
Originally Published: February 2, 2024
Leonardtown, Mechanicsville, and Ridge Affected
Representatives from Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department, Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department, and Ridge Volunteer Fire Department asked the Commissioners to authorize public hearings to increase the Fire Tax. All three departments cited increasing costs across the board as the primary reason for the increase, while providing data on their service areas. All tax rates mentioned are per $100 of assessed property value, and will only affect those within the service districts for these fire stations.
Leonardtown VFD is requesting a change from $0.024 to $0.056 for the tax rate, with an average impact per household of $111.54 per year. Additional funds are needed to sustain daily operations, support capital investment programs for apparatus and a new fire station, and provide support for training. The current tax rate was established in 1994. Leonardtown VFD has an average call rate of 769 for the last five years. Among expenses, the largest is the potential new station at an estimated cost of $30-40M. LVFD President Gary Bell said that estimate came as a surprise, but it is far from final. The new station will likely be located on the Mattingly property off Cedar Lane Road, a choice voted on by the department’s membership. Property owned by the firehouse in Leonardtown, including the old carnival lot, could be sold to the Town in the future. The Leonardtown VFD public hearing is scheduled for February 14th at 6:30PM at the fire station.
Next up was Ridge VFD, requesting a change from $0.036 to $0.056 for the tax rate, with an average household impact of $48.85 per year. Reasons for the increase are similar–sustaining daily operations and capital investments. There has been no increase to the tax since it was originally established. It was noted during discussion that the assessable tax base in the Ridge area is considerably lower because the State and Navy own a lot of property and do not pay taxes. Average yearly call volume is 252. The Ridge VFD public hearing is scheduled for February 15th at 7PM at the fire station.
Finally, Mechanicsville VFD requested a change from $0.046 to $0.056, with an average household impact of $28.18 per year. Reasons include increases for fuel cost, maintenance, gear costs, and building maintenance. Notably, the warranty on MVFD’s new building ends this year meaning they will be responsible for maintenance costs. MVFD President John Montgomery said the roof on the Golden Beach station, which is 26 years old, may need to be replaced in the near future. Average yearly call volume across both stations is 990. The Mechanicsville VFD public hearing is scheduled for February 13th at 6:30PM at MVFD.
