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Leonardtown volunteer rescue squad granted public hearing on proposed rescue tax increase
Summary
The St. Mary’s County commissioners approved a request from the Leonardtown Volunteer Rescue Squad to hold a public hearing on March 4 about raising its rescue tax from 0.9 cents to 3 cents per $100 of assessed value; the squad says the increase would fund new ambulances, facility work and rising operating costs.
The St. Mary’s County commissioners on Feb. 11 authorized the Leonardtown Volunteer Rescue Squad to hold a public hearing on proposed increases to the squad’s rescue tax, moving the request into the county’s FY 2026 budget process.
The request, presented by Danny Bowles, president of the Leonardtown Volunteer Rescue Squad, asks the commissioners to allow a public hearing on March 4 at 6:30 p.m. on raising the squad’s rescue tax from 0.9 cents to 3 cents per $100 of assessed value. Bowles told commissioners the change would boost annual revenue for the squad from about $261,000 to an estimated $871,000.
Bowles said the squad needs the additional revenue to cover rising operating costs and planned capital outlays. "Hope is not a strategy, and relying on fundraising and donations is very much a reliance on hope," he said, describing increased prices for ambulances and equipment, higher fuel and workers’ compensation costs, and needed repairs or a replacement of the squad’s building.
Nut graf: The hearing was approved by voice vote after commissioners said they want thorough documentation from the squad; the board will incorporate public hearing results into its recommended FY 2026 budget. If adopted after the county process, the increase would change the average household impact in the squad’s service area by about $77.50 annually based on the squad’s estimates.
Why it matters: The proposed increase affects property owners in the squad’s district and would fund emergency medical services that respond to calls in Leonardtown and mutual-aid partners. Commissioners and staff stressed that audit records and clearer financial detail will be important to gaining broader support during the public process.
What the squad told the commissioners Bowles said demand, inflation and capital needs motivated the request. He told the board that an ambulance contract price recently rose from $280,000 to $370,000 and that ambulances in the squad’s fleet typically are replaced on a roughly 15-year cycle, with more frequent turnover than fire apparatus because of higher mileage and use. Bowles also described facility needs, including roof leaks found during a recent snowstorm and the lack of an elevator to reach a second-floor meeting room, saying renovation could be costly and a new building is increasingly likely.
He summarized operating-cost pressures: personal protective equipment costs have risen about 33% since 2019, fuel costs about 30% over five years, and workers’ compensation increased roughly 23% from 2023 to 2024. Bowles estimated the tax increase would produce roughly $871,000 annually, compared with current receipts of about $261,000, and said the proposal would spread the cost across approximately 7,876 households in the squad’s service area.
County reaction and conditions for support Commissioners voiced general support for allowing the squad’s public hearing but emphasized the importance of thorough financial records and local response to the hearing. One commissioner urged the squad to make sure audits and internal financials are current; Bowles said audits are up to 2023 and work on 2024 audit completion was underway.
Commissioner Goodwin said he would support the request but told Bowles, "cross your T's, dot your I's," noting the commissioners will weigh public hearing responses heavily in their budget decisions. Another commissioner asked whether the squad had considered moving into the Leonardtown Fire Department’s old building; Bowles said the fire department has not finalized its construction timeline and that the squad is evaluating options, including renovation costs if they were to remain at the current site.
Formal action A commissioner moved to authorize the Leonardtown Volunteer Rescue Squad to hold a public hearing on the proposed tax increase and to submit the public hearing results and comments to the county for consideration as part of the FY 2026 budget process. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The squad’s public hearing was scheduled for March 4 at 6:30 p.m.
Next steps and what is unknown The public hearing will collect resident comment and testimony; the commissioners said results will be considered in the county’s FY 2026 budget deliberations and that any rate adoption would follow the county’s budget process. Commissioners requested that the squad finalize and deliver up-to-date audits, internal financial statements and any additional cost analyses before the county makes a budget recommendation. The transcript and presenters did not provide a final vote tally with named votes at the Feb. 11 meeting.
Ending: The squad will present its case to area residents on March 4; the commissioners will receive the hearing record as the county prepares FY 2026 budget recommendations.
