On Tuesday night, Barbour County (WV) residents voted down a proposed fire fee to help fund area fire protection coverage. The election results reportedly inspired several firefighters to retire, according to a report on WDTV.com.
The proposed fee would have found Barbour County residential property owners paying $40 per year on up to 500 acres of land; commercial property owners would have had to pay $80 a year.
Voters in Doddridge County also voted down a fire levy.
Both counties’ departments rely on unpaid volunteer fire departments for fire protection, according to Roy G. Williams, a firefighter with the Philippi Fire Department in Barbour County. Williams stated in an e-mail that the departments receive no funding other than a small amount from the state (some also get a very small amount of funding from their municipalities) and what can be generated by fundraising. Both sources have taken a hit in recent years.
“Our treasurer stated that our account is at an all-time low,” Williams wrote of his department’s plight. “Our department covers approximately 50 percent of the county, and with our finances getting tighter and tighter discontinuing service to areas outside our city limits has unofficially been discussed. This would leave the vast majority of our current response area without fire and rescue coverage.”
Read more on these election results HERE and HERE.
