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Volunteer fire chief urges council to support small local tax for volunteer fire departments
Summary
A fire chief asked the council to consider a small dedicated local tax to fund volunteer fire departments, citing doubled call volume and equipment needs; councilmembers asked the county attorney to review House Bill 1454 for possible implementation steps.
Jim Cole, chief of the Advance Fire Department, urged the Boone County Council during public comment to consider a small, dedicated local tax to support volunteer fire departments across the county.
Cole told the council volunteer departments respond to fires, crashes and other emergencies without pay, and that rising call volume and equipment needs have strained resources. He described a proposed local public-safety tax that would capture 0.001 of assessed value (described in the meeting as a modest levy) and said funds would support township and volunteer partner departments, including James Southern, Thornton Town and Kirkland fire departments.
Council members asked the county attorney to report back on House Bill 1454 and how a local tax mechanism would work and to provide information on whether the council could consider the change during a budget workshop. The county attorney said he would review the bill and provide details to the council.
