Ridge Volunteer Rescue Squad seeks modest rescue-tax increase to sustain operations and fleet

Ridge Volunteer Rescue Squad leaders told the St. Mary’s County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 29, 2013 that the squad needs a modest increase in its rescue tax allocation to keep operations solvent, maintain vehicles and cover rising insurance and utility costs.

Amy Raley, president of the Ridge Volunteer Rescue Squad, and Christie Bright, treasurer, presented the squad’s budget history, call volume and a request to raise the squad’s rescue allocation. Raley said the squad had 61 members in 2012 and responded to 661 calls that year on a budget of about $391,000; she said the squad’s membership donated about 24,000 hours of service in 2012, which the presenters estimated equated to roughly $521,000 in volunteer value to the county.

Ridge described current funding and the requested change in plain terms: the squad said its first-due area currently receives about $64,000 at the present rate (described in the presentation as 0.8 cents per $100 of assessed value) and asked the county to increase its allocation by about $23,000 to roughly $85,300. Raley characterized the change as a relatively small per-household increase — “$8.20” per person currently versus “$10.94” with the requested change, as presented to the commissioners — and asked the board to take the matter to the public for a vote.

The squad cited several drivers for the request: an aging service area (median age in the district is about 49 years), growing call volume over the last seven years (from roughly 551 to 661 calls), increasing insurance and utility costs, and a fleet‑replacement schedule that calls for ambulance replacement roughly every 14 years. The presenters said their oldest ambulance is a 1996 model with about 127,000 miles and noted they plan to request a revolving-loan in FY2014 to replace that vehicle.

Ridge leaders also described recent expenses that reduced excess revenue: the company spent about $26,000 on a new generator after storm damage and reported a workers’ compensation (IWIF) claim that materially increased insurance premiums. Christie Bright described the effect of the IWIF claim: one claim led to about a 25 percent increase in premiums, which the presenters said would deplete small year‑end surpluses if the rate remains unchanged.

Commissioners asked for clarifications about the requested percentage increase, and county staff and the presenters resolved a decimal confusion during the session: Ridge clarified that the intended increase is from 0.8 cents per $100 to 1.1 cents per $100 (presented as 0.008 to 0.011 in tax‑rate terms on $100 of assessed value), producing the revenue change the squad presented.

County commissioners responded appreciatively to the presentation but, as with Hollywood, urged Ridge to meet with county staff to refine the figures and to explore options before a public hearing. Commissioner Morgan and others said the county would help the squad evaluate revolving-loan timing, insurance aggregation and other cost-control strategies. The BOCC directed Ridge’s representatives to work with county staff on a sustainable plan and return to the board prior to public hearing advertisement; commissioners indicated a late‑February public hearing schedule if staff and the squad agree on a plan.

Ending: Ridge will work with county staff to finalize details and may proceed to a public hearing if staff and the squad reach a plan; the board gave no final approval on Jan. 29 and expressed thanks to squad volunteers.