Hampshire fire district seeking tax hike
Hiring more firefighters, opening a second fire station and improving response times could become a reality for the Hampshire Fire Protection District if voters support a property tax hike this spring.
Two referendum questions on the April ballot, if approved, would authorize the district to levy two new taxes - one at a rate of 0.15 percent of taxable property value for tort liability purposes, and the other at a rate of 0.1 percent for emergency and rescue crews and equipment purposes.
The new taxes would put an extra $480,000 in the district's coffers each year, which would be used to improve efficiency, Deputy Chief Trevor Herrmann said. It would also help fund anticipated capital expenses, such as replacing a $250,000 ambulance or a $300,000 tanker engine, over the next few years.
If voters support the referendums, the owner of a $100,000 home would pay $50 more in property taxes per year for the tort liability tax and $33.33 more per year for the emergency and rescue tax.
The Hampshire fire district's existing station on Washington Avenue is typically staffed with four crew members at any given time, Herrmann said. With the additional revenue, he said, officials would be able to hire enough personnel to place two more people on duty during each shift.
The district employs seven full-time and 38 part-time firefighters, Herrmann said, noting the roster would likely have to reach 55 total crew members to reach their goal of having six on shift at all times.
Additionally, the district would plan to rent space in a multi-tenant building near Route 20 and Interstate 90, where they would house the two extra firefighters and a paramedic engine.
Last year, the district responded to 350 calls in the northern portion of its 42-square-mile coverage area, with response times ranging from eight to 16 minutes, Herrmann said. By opening a secondary fire station in that area, he said, response times could be reduced by five to six minutes.
Hampshire fire crews responded to 1,175 calls in 2016, 700 of which were medical, Herrmann said. The rest were fire-related.
The district several years ago saw a roughly $250,000 dip in annual tax revenues because of declining property values, Herrmann said. Revenues, 90 percent of which are from property taxes, have begun slowly rising again in recent years, he said, but the volume of calls crews received has also been increasing.
"We've got some growth going on ... and a pretty good size population that we protect," Herrmann said. "Obviously we'll be able to service them better with (the additional tax revenue)."