24-05-2025
Fire tax increases sought in five of seven districts
Lee County's fire departments are facing challenges brought about by increases in operating costs, equipment replacement and a continuing lack of volunteers willing to serve.
The fire departments are looking to find money to help fund the needs, sometimes using reserve funds and upping taxes in their respective districts.
'Volunteerism throughout our state continues to decrease. The fire departments in Lee County are taking steps to mitigate these issues with paid staff, assuring there will always be someone to answer the call for service,' John Rzycki, chair of the Lee County Fire Advisory Board, told county commissioners at their Monday meeting.
Each department presents its proposed budget to the Fire Advisory Board, which then makes funding recommendations. The Lee County commissioners will consider the requests in their proposed 2025-26 budget.
Five departments are asking to raise fire district taxes to address shortages and a lack of manpower. They are Tramway, Cape Fear, Northview, Lemon Springs and Carolina Trace fire departments.
Residents living in the Pocket and Deep River districts will not see an increase in the tax rate.
Tramway is seeking an increase of $138,972 in their 2025-26 budget, an increase of 19.9%, according to Rzycki. The district's tax base grew by $26.7 million.
The advisory board recommends the requested increase while raising the district tax to 10.7 cents, a 2.5-cent increase from the previous year.
The Cape Fear department's request has increased by $109,564 or 13.4%, Rzycki said. The budget calls for $43,000 for an increase in personnel costs and $9,000 increase for its capital budget and debt funding.
Cape Fear is contracted to provide service to the Clearwater Forest Fire Department. The Cape Fear tax base increased by $78.6 million, while the Clearwater tax base grew by $1.2 million.
The combined total of the two districts is $710,862,997. With $40,000 from the fund balance, the proposed tax rate is 14.4 cents, up 1.7 cents from last year.
Northview is seeking to increase the district tax from 9 to 9.4 cents, but the department has had decreases in its budget in the prior years. That includes a reduction in the cost of retirement and health insurance for full-time staff and using a part-time staff instead.
The district's tax base decreased by $4.9 million. With that reduction and the use of $40,000 from it fund balance, the rate would increase slightly.
The Lemon Springs Department is increasing its request by 17.7% to $100,600 to cover a cost-of-living raise and more man-hours. A proposed increase of 2.5 cents would raise the tax rate to 10.7 cents.
The Carolina Trace department is seeking a 15.3% increase in its funding request of $125,112. The rise is the result of an increase in salaries, providing 12-hour shifts during the day and night for 24-hour coverage. The department's tax base grew by $25.8 million. With the request and $25,000 in fund balance money, the department is seeking to raise its tax rate from 12.8 cents to 14.1 cents.
