KINGWOOD — The Preston County Fire Association plans to ask the county to renew its five-year fire levy at a slightly increased rate on the May 2022 ballot.
Chief Owen Evans of Albright Volunteer Fire Department spoke to the Preston County Commission on behalf of the association at the commission’s regular Tuesday meeting to seek support for the levy.
He said the reason for the five month head start is to give county officials, such as the county clerk, assessor and tax office, enough time to place the levy on the ballot without additional burden. The previous levy, approved in May 2018, made it onto the ballot just under the wire.
The county’s 12 fire departments, all of which are volunteer, are appreciative of the levy which is set to expire on June 30, 2022, Evans said. The levy has provided money for training, equipment, recurring expenses and improvements to stations.
The increase planned for the 2022 levy is because the original estimate fell short and did not bring in the funding the departments were looking for – $40,000 per department and $15,000 for the fire association for joint expenses.
The increase will be one cent per $100 on class 3 and 4 properties and half a cent per $100 increase on class 2 property, Evans said. That means a $100,000 home would pay about $10 more a year.
Additionally, 10% of the levy was required to be spent on training, which is more than some departments need, Evans said. The new levy will be revised to allow that money to be spent on something just as important – recruiting and retention.
“We wanted to make sure that we were putting money into training, being responsible with the money, that we weren’t to spend it all on equipment or trucks. So that’s why we’ve done that,” Evans said.
However, it’s now clear there is a need to use money for recruitment and retention. Evans said some departments have been very proactive in getting grant money to help with that purpose.
Commission President Don Smith said recruitment and training go hand-in-hand and make for a good combination.
An advantage of well-supported fire departments, that isn’t talked about too often, is lower homeowners insurance, Commissioner Dave Price said.
Evans said he had a real life example of that benefit. One firefighter in the Albright VFD said his homeowners insurance dropped 55% going from class 9 to class 5 in the ISO rating – which determines a fire department’s ability to protect a community.
The lower the ISO rating the harder it is to achieve, and if Albright lost its current class 4 rating insurance would go up drastically.
Smith said he appreciated the fire association getting ahead of the game while Price said he thinks the county will support the levy.
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