Rescue company goes door-to-door in search of changes to fire tax structure

Originally published November 29, 2009

By Ron Cassie News-Post Staff

Blaine Smith watches as a Dearbought resident signs a petition to lower the fire tax in Walkersville's first-due area.

Nearly three dozen volunteers from the Walkersville Volunteer Fire Co. and Walkersville Volunteer Rescue Co. took to the streets Saturday, collecting signatures to lower the fire tax rate in the Walkersville first-due area. Three Walkersville town commissioners, Chad Weddle, Roger "Sam" Eyler and Donald Schildt, as well as Walkersville Volunteer Rescue Co. President Sandra Maxey, were among those going door-to-door.

In a recent letter sent to area residents before the canvassing effort, Walkersville Volunteer Fire Co. and Walkersville Volunteer Rescue Co. asked residents for support of the creation of a separate Walkersville first-due area fire tax district.

Currently, property owners in Walkersville first-due response -- part of Frederick County's suburban fire tax area -- are taxed 8 cents per $100 on the assessed value of their property. Urban fire tax residents are taxed 12 cents per $100.

The Walkersville first-due response area generates about $1.3 million in fire tax revenue. The benefit received annually is less than $300,000, which includes two paid positions at the rescue company, according to Jim Graham, treasurer at the volunteer fire company.

"This is a tax equity issue," Graham said. "Walkersville is gracious in its support, and the county system developed 10 years ago needs to be revamped." Graham estimated with its own tax district, Walkersville first-due residents could see their fire tax rate cut in half or better.

"Both companies buy all our own equipment, built our own buildings with all our own funds," Maxey said previously. "Other companies do not receive as generous support from their residents as we do, or do not work as hard at fundraising as we do."

Community response Saturday was "overwhelming positive," Graham said midway through the afternoon, noting that in the midst of collecting signatures, the fire and rescue company volunteers had also responded to four calls.

According to county code, property owners within the county may request the establishment of a special taxing district by filing a petition that identifies the proposed district and is signed by at least 50 percent of the property owners within the proposed district.

Graham said the fire and rescue companies, which also have the unanimous support of the town commissioners and Burgess Ralph Whitmore, are targeting 6,700 households in the Walkersville first-due area.

They hoping to collect 4,000 signatures, Graham said, and will continue canvassing on weeknights and weekends for the next three weeks.

By 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Graham estimated the first 1,000 signatures might be collected by sunset.

Fire company volunteers Blaine Smith, 29, and Rodney Davis, 42, like many volunteers, found local residents receptive -- many even expecting a knock on the door after receiving the advance letter and having read about the issue in the newspaper.

"I'm doing it (collecting signatures) for the community because I don't think it's fair a lot money is going out of the area to support other fire and rescue companies," Smith said. "As a homeowner, I'm doing it for myself and out of respect for other homeowners as well."

When John Gibert answered the door Saturday morning at his home in Dearbought, not far from the fire station, he said he was expecting the firefighters.

"We'd received the letter and my wife, Susan, mentioned that they'd be coming by," Gibert said. "There was a lot of valuable information presented in the letter, and we support what they're doing. Anything to help the community."

In response to the letter, Frederick County Commissioners President Jan Gardner said last week that the numbers given by the Walkersville volunteer companies do not take into account the cost of services, supervision, training, equipment and programs incurred by the county.

For example, she said, advanced life support is run out of nearby Libertytown , whose residents pay the urban tax rate.

Gardner said the issue is now on the county's plate. They have set a Dec. 31 deadline for public comment.

"We're already looking at this," Gardner said. "But I think the county commissioners need to look at the county broadly, not just Walkersville ."

Gardner said creating separate tax districts for Walkersville , and potentially Thurmont , which has also begun looking into the issue, could significantly reduce fire tax rates in those areas. However, she said, the fire tax rate for Frederick , for example, could jump from 12 cents to 28 cents.

Graham said the current hope is simply to get the county commissioners to lower the Walkersville fire tax rate, most likely by redistricting it alone or with Thurmont .

However, if that fails, Graham said, the next step could be passing legislation in Annapolis that would enable Walkersville to collect fire taxes in its first-due area and "go into the fire and rescue business."

"We don't want Walkersville to get into fire and rescue business," Graham said. "This is accounting issue the county can fix. But we'll see what happens."