Excerpts from Dailyherald.com:
The Hampshire Fire Protection District is making another push this fall to increase property taxes after two previous attempts failed. This time, the district is hoping voters will approve a 0.1 percent tax increase through a binding referendum on the November 6 ballot.
If passed, the new tax would generate an extra $236,000 annually for the fire department. This funding would go toward upgrading aging equipment and increasing staffing levels, according to Deputy Chief Trevor Herrmann. A homeowner with a $200,000 property would pay an additional $67 per year in taxes.
The sole fire station at 202 Washington Ave. currently operates with five staff members about 25% of the time, while other shifts are covered by four people. To meet growing demand, the district plans to raise staffing to five or six per shift, which could require hiring around five part-time firefighters. The department currently has six full-time employees and 34 part-timers.
Having more on-duty firefighters available around the clock can be critical when multiple calls come in at once. Last year, the department responded to nearly 200 such incidents, and handles over 1,200 emergency calls annually.
Part of the new tax revenue will also be used to purchase essential equipment, including a $600,000 fire engine and a $200,000 ambulance. Officials are also exploring grant opportunities to help cover these costs.
Previous tax increase proposals have been rejected by voters in the last two elections. This time, the district is taking a more community-focused approach, using social media, local meetings, and a citizen advisory committee to build support for the initiative.
In 2017, the district attempted a similar tax hike but failed to pass a second referendum that would have raised an additional 0.15 percent. That money was intended to fund a second fire station in a growing area near Route 20 and Interstate 90. Now, the district is working on a plan to build a second station on the north side of the district without seeking further tax increases.
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