Slippery Rock officials are reviewing an ordinance that could give paid and volunteer members of emergency response departments a $250 tax credit on their local earned income taxes.

Mayor Jondavid Longo said the ordinance is under legal review after being tabled by Borough Council at a meeting Tuesday. If enacted, the ordinance would allow forgiveness of up to $250 in local earned income taxes for resident members of Slippery Rock Volunteer Fire Company and Rescue Team, Slippery Rock police, Slippery Rock University police, state police and the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.

The ordinance, Longo said, is a way the borough can motivate residents to not only become a volunteer or work as an emergency responder, but to keep those positions staffed in Slippery Rock.

“I just think it's very important to do everything we can that helps average Americans that help their communities,” Longo said. “It's really an investment, because the investment is in the men and women who want to serve our community as first responders, in a time when Pa. is facing an increasing first responder shortage.”

If the ordinance has to be reworked, Longo said he still plans to enact a tax credit for volunteers of emergency response departments in Slippery Rock.

“If there is going to be any long wait for my ordinance to be passed and implemented, what I aim to do is enact the benefits of Act 172 immediately for volunteer firefighters and non-paid EMS agencies,” Longo said, “while continuing to investigate the potential for us to expand those benefits to law enforcement officers and EMTs.”

Longo said Pennsylvania Act 172 allows a municipality the ability to award tax incentives to volunteers of municipal fire companies and nonprofit emergency medical services, and he would like the borough to expand that to paid staff.

“My hope would be that since the Pennsylvania General Assembly has delegated authority to municipalities to levy taxes on individuals, that municipalities should enjoy the right to forgive local levy taxes on residents,” he said. “Because there is no specific language, those other groups like paid firefighters, paid police, the question is does a municipality like ours have the authority to do that?”