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Lugoff Fire Department seeks millage increase to avoid layoffs; council approves department budget request unanimously
Summary
Lugoff Fire Chief Chris Spitzer requested a 7.62-mill increase to raise roughly $400,000 to preserve staffing and maintain ISO rating; Council unanimously approved the department's proposed budget action.
Lugoff Fire Chief Chris Spitzer urged Kershaw County Council on Tuesday to approve a local millage increase for the volunteer-staffed department after detailing equipment losses, rising personnel costs and steadily increasing call volumes.
Spitzer told council the department has avoided a tax increase for more than a decade but is now out of reserve options: equipment costs have risen, personal protective equipment can be destroyed in a single structural fire, and health-insurance and retirement contributions are substantially higher. The department expects to run more than 2,100 calls this fiscal year — about four times the calls run when the chief first joined the department in 2013 — and Spitzer said the department needs four additional full-time firefighters and the ability to replace or repair specialized equipment.
Lugoff’s board proposed a 7.62-mill increase for the fire district, which the chief estimated would raise roughly $400,000 and allow the department to hire four full-time firefighters, maintain training and equipment budgets, and preserve the department’s ISO-2 rating that reduces homeowners’ insurance premiums in the district. Chief Spitzer said failing to secure the funds would force layoffs of seven part-time firefighters and cuts to training and equipment buying.
Council members asked for cost-per-household comparisons and details of how the mil increase would affect homeowners. Chief Spitzer estimated the increase would add roughly $3.10 per $10,000 of assessed value — about $30 per year for a $100,000 home, $60 for $200,000 and $90 for $300,000.
After the presentation and questions, council voted unanimously to approve the Lugoff Fire Department’s requested budget action on the record and urged staff and the department to proceed with implementation. Council members praised the department’s response record and stressed the importance of preserving public safety service levels.
Council asked the department and county finance staff to follow up with detailed contract and schedule information for equipment purchases and staffing timelines.
