The Warrenton Fire Protection District Board of Directors announced this week that it will once again seek voter approval for a property tax increase, warning of impending service reductions if the district doesn’t receive additional funding.

In a press release sent to The Record on Tuesday, June 15, board President Rob Vogelgesang said the district is placing a 15-cent property tax increase on the Aug. 3 ballot. If approved, property owners would pay an additional $28.50 per $100,000 property value each year.

Without an increase, Vogelgesang said the district may soon cut its operating budget.

“These cuts would mean the sale of additional district assets and the possible reduction of personnel, including volunteer services which also require funding that is just not available,” Vogelgesang said. “Unfortunately, we have already sold or decommissioned five trucks, sold one station, and another is currently for sale. Further reductions would cripple the district’s ability to provide services to the community.”

The board of directors attributes the district’s financial woes to not receiving any tax increase since 2001.

However, in the past seven years, the board has also increased the use of paid, on-duty firefighters, from part-time weekday coverage to full 24/7 coverage, adding significant requirements to the district’s budget.

Vogelgesang commented that Warrenton Fire’s tax rate is the lowest in Warren County and lower than most surrounding agencies.

In response to questions from The Record, district officials said the board voted on May 18 to place the tax proposal on the Aug. 3 ballot.

A similar proposal was rejected in April, the sixth time in seven years voters have turned down a tax request from the district.

Vehicle breakdowns

Warrenton firefighters highlighted recent vehicle breakdowns as a prime example of why the district needs additional funding. Mechanical failures had two firetrucks out of service last week, leaving firefighters to operate with a 1997 pumper truck.

Fire Chief Anthony Hayeslip told The Record that this is the third time this year that two out of the three firetrucks have been down for maintenance. One of them has been down for three weeks for radiator repair, he said. 

Another firetruck had airbag systems malfunction, which were fixed so the truck could return to service. But the truck also has a cracked axle housing, meaning it needs to go down for repairs again as soon as the truck with the bad radiator is fixed, Hayeslip said.

“We’ve been in a vicious cycle where we always have one truck down, and one with issues that we’re working through, and by the time we get one back, another goes out of service,” Hayeslip lamented. “It’s just a perpetual problem, and as they get older it’s just more and more.”

Hayeslip said the district is searching for alternate funding methods to replace its older trucks, including through grants. But grants can take years to acquire, if they’re approved at all, he said. In the meantime, the district has to make do with what it has.

“Everything we have is (beat up) because we’re having to stretch our money thinner.  We can’t afford to go out and do all the preventative maintenance, and instead of being proactive, we’re being reactive,” Hayeslip said.