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Middletown Springs considers five‑year tax exemption for volunteer firehouse and funds for volunteer department
Summary
Voters were asked to exempt the Volunteer Fire Association building from property tax for five years and to appropriate $86,000 for the volunteer fire department; selectboard members said the exemption is a routine five‑year renewal and the department requested level funding.
Article 8 asked voters to exempt from property taxes for five years (July 1, 2026–June 30, 2031) the property on Firehouse Lane owned by the Middletown Springs Volunteer Fire Association. The selectboard explained this is a routine item that returns every five years for volunteer associations that are not municipal fire departments.
"This comes up, I believe, once every 5 years," Selectboard member Barry Redfield said, and town officials noted listers had not charged taxes during the gap years because they believed the exemption was already on the ballot. When attendees asked what happens to the gap years, a town official said no taxes were charged in the interim.
Article 9 asked voters to appropriate $86,000 for the Middletown Springs Volunteer Fire Department. Kevin Eaton, who said he had recently been appointed president of the fire association, said the request was level funded and the association did not feel it could ask for more this year given fundraising results. "We just could not see asking for more money," Eaton said.
Both the exemption and the appropriation will be decided by Australian ballot on March 3, 2026.
