Lancaster County discussion centers on millage versus fee to fund fire services

Staff member briefed the Lancaster County Fire Commission on funding options for the county's fire service, describing two main approaches under consideration: a property millage and a per‑structure fee. The discussion covered account rules for existing fire districts, how fees would be calculated for churches and large properties, legal constraints tied to state law and local ordinances, and shortfalls in developer‑escrow funds for planned stations.

The matter matters because it affects how much residents, businesses and nonprofits would pay for fire protection and whether the county can fund new stations and equipment. Staff said the county must choose between a millage, which grows automatically with property valuation, and a fee model, which would require ordinance changes each time the fee level or commercial multiplier is adjusted.

Staff member explained that the county's current budgets for fire operations are run from what they called “county ordinary” accounts and cited two specific budget lines (141 and 144) that roll back to the county fund balance at year end if unused. By contrast, money in Indian Land's account (referred to as a 940 account in the…