Worth Township supervisors could implement fire tax
WORTH TWP — Residents were torn about the potential implementation of a 1.5-mill fire tax that would help fund Slippery Rock Volunteer Fire Company, Portersville Volunteer Fire Department and Scott Township Volunteer Fire.
At a meeting Tuesday, April 4, township supervisors asked for input from residents on potentially putting 1.5% of the 3.8% real estate tax toward the fire departments that cover the region. There would be no overall change to taxes for homeowners, according to township secretary/treasurer Shari Kruetz.
If implemented, the fire tax would raise about $80 annually from the average homeowner in Worth Township, Kruetz said.
Supervisor chairman Fred Brezel said the change in taxes seemed fair and actually would save the township money, because it donated more than $8,000 to all three departments in 2022.
“We are actually gaining more money,” Brezel said.
He said if the tax is incorporated and the real estate tax is lowered, the three fire departments “will be getting $19,000, so we’ll have more money available in the general fund in that respect.”
Ryan Hanchosky, chief of the Slippery Rock department, said he has approached all eight municipalities in the company’s response area requesting the creation of a fire tax, so the department is able to secure good loans when it has to buy new trucks. He said several of the municipalities already have passed a fire tax.
“Our biggest reason for asking is because within the next five to 10 years we are replacing our aerial truck,” Hanchosky said. “The bank, when we ask for a loan, is going to look at our income. Although the donations we greatly appreciate, we have no control over them.
The creation of a fire tax would make the company’s revenues more consistent, Hanchosky said, and likely would help retain volunteers who have been performing heavy fundraising in recent years.
“Having a fire tax in place, it shows the bank that, ‘This is the amount of money brought for fire department that is not going to change,’” Hanchosky said. “It's a guaranteed profit, where the donation is not guaranteed.”
During the meeting, Hanchosky said the fire company responded to 58 calls in Worth Township in 2022. Additionally, the three fire departments that cover the township split up its regions so they are not all responding to all calls in the region.
While some residents expressed worry that the creation of a fire tax would open the door for more taxes in the future, Hanchosky said the funding would help keep the department alive. He also said the endeavor with Worth Township has been two years in the making.
“We're just trying to get all municipalities on the same page,” Hanchosky said. “I hate to ask for this tax because no one likes to hear that word, but unfortunately, we are just doing what we have to do to keep ourselves alive.”
Although supervisors did not vote on the tax Tuesday, they heard from a resident who suggested they set a millage rate and put a referendum on the ballot in an upcoming election, which Brezel said they would look into.
Ryan Smith, a Realtor who lives in Worth Township, said he understands the need for the fire department to request the tax.
“We know what’s coming, and these guys are asking for $19,000 a year,” Smith said. “You have to be open to the fact that there’s a need for them to have that money.”
