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Orange County fire districts ask commissioners to approve tax-rate increases to sustain staffing and equipment
Summary
At a May 22 budget work session, Orange County fire chiefs and board members asked commissioners to approve property tax-rate increases across multiple fire districts, saying the funds are needed to cover rising personnel and equipment costs and to avoid cuts that would affect response times and insurance ratings.
Orange County commissioners heard Tuesday that 10 of the county's 12 fire districts have requested tax-rate increases above the revenue-neutral level, a package of requests that officials said would generate about $1.7 million.
County budget staff displayed a map and table showing each district's request, the revenue-neutral rate and estimated impacts on homeowners. White Cross Fire District asked for the largest single increase — about 3.7 cents above revenue neutral — while other districts sought smaller increases (Cedar Grove 1 cent; Chapel Hill about 0.7 cents; New Hope 2.35 cents; Orange Rural 1 cent; Orange Grove 1.19 cents; South Orange Grove 1.5 cents). The presentation noted the calculations used a $400,000 home as an example.
The requests were driven mostly by rising personnel costs, higher maintenance and apparatus expenses,…
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