Calvert commissioners ask legislators for dedicated emergency services tax to fund volunteer squads

Calvert County officials asked the local legislative delegation to consider a bill authorizing an "emergency services tax" that would create a dedicated funding stream for volunteer fire and rescue associations and countywide public-safety support programs. County Attorney John Dorris told the delegation the measure is intended to stabilize funding: "the purpose of this is to have an emergency services tax that is a dedicated funding stream for support service organizations and the volunteer fire rescue associations."

Dorris said the draft would authorize a cap of 22¢ per $100 of real property assessed value and 10¢ per $100 of personal property, with the county planning a likely first-year rate of about 18¢. Using 2023 assessments, staff estimated roughly $1,400,000 in county revenue per penny on the real-property rate. Commissioners said a dedicated tax would remove annual equipment and apparatus requests from routine budget politics: "They're screaming for things that we can't afford to give them," the Chair said, arguing a guaranteed stream would let volunteer companies plan for equipment, buildings and retention programs.

The presentation compared Calvert's approach to Saint Mary's County, which uses a similar mechanism, and included a proposal to allocate revenue by each volunteer unit's "first due" response area. No final vote occurred; the item was presented to the delegation for legislative consideration and further local work on implementation details.