Fire tax levy sought in Mercer County - WVVA TV Bluefield Beckley WV News, Weather and Sports

Fire tax levy sought in Mercer County

Posted:

BLUEFIELD (WVVA) - Mercer County firefighters are seeking a fire tax levy to keep departments operating at an optimal level.

Since 1990, county departments have been receiving funding from a fire service fee -- but firefighters saw it's not enough to cover rising costs.

"We're getting the same money as we did in 1990 when we established (the fee)," Green Valley-Glenwood Chief David Thompson said.

Thompson said departments and residents across the county could suffer without the levy.

"We want it on the November ballot. Let the people decide if they want the fire service fee, or if they don't want fire service period; because without the additional money, within five years we will have some departments that won't be here," Thompson said.

The current Mercer County fire service fee is collected annually. The fee is $20 per home and $50 per business.

 

Powered by WorldNow
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WVVA.
All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Persons with disabilities who need assistance with issues relating to the content of this station's public inspection file should contact Administrative Assistant Audrey Sluss at (304) 324-0659. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, at 888-835-5322 (TTY) or at fccinfo@fcc.gov.