From a lengthy article in the Evansville Courier & Press:
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The Scott Township Fire Department is the only county fire department that offers 24-hour fire and emergency medical service (EMS), and officials said population growth has undoubtedly affected both types of calls.
The department lists 28 volunteers, 13 part-time firefighters and 12 full-time firefighters.
With its 10 vehicles (including four firetrucks and three ambulances), it covers Scott Township, Armstrong Township and the Town of Darmstadt.
Since 2002, department statistics show, the number of fire runs has fluctuated. But the number of EMS and motor-vehicle-crash runs has swelled by 58 percent since then, with year-over-year increases coming in seven of the past nine years.
Overall, the department saw a record 828 runs in 2011, topping the 2008 record of 740 runs.
"As we grow," Kahre said about Scott Township, "demand grows."
More runs mean more fuel and more wear on vehicles and equipment. That's on top of the increases in prices for fuel, equipment and other necessities over the past 10 years. Higher safety standards and training requirements have led to increased expenses, too, Kahre said.
While total run volume increased 46.5 percent since 2002, tax revenue for fire and EMS is up by only 21.7 percent since then, according to Scott Township Trustee's Office statistics.
Based on 2012 tax rates, a Scott Township property owner with a house assessed at $100,000 after deductions will pay $10.20 for EMS and $67.80 for fire service.
Those collections are determined by tax rates, which, in turn, are based on a township's total net assessed value and state-set tax levies.
Scott Township's net assessed value has been growing with its population, but tax levy limits — the amount a township can collect — haven't grown as fast.
If a township has $500 million of assessed valuation and the state sets its levy limit at $750,000, then the tax rate for that township is 0.15 percent.
If net assessed value rises and the levy stays the same, that tax rate will decrease, spreading the tax burden.
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See the full article here:
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2012/jun/09/fire-depts-hed-herpppp/
