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The Logan Township supervisors this week conducted their annual distribution of fire tax funding to the volunteer fire companies that serve the township.
"We take very good care of the fire companies, and in return, the fire companies take very good care of us," said supervisors Chairman Jim Patterson.
Each of the five companies received $22,900 -- minus what they spent on fuel they bought on the township's account.
The money distributed this week comes from the general category of the fire tax fund, according to township Finance Director Tiffany Noonan.
United and Kittanning Trail each received the full allocation of $22,900, while Greenwood received $19,600, Lakemont $17,400 and Newburg $19,300.
Fire tax for 2023 is 0.42 mills, or $42 a year for the owner of a property assessed at $100,000.
Based on the 2024 budget approved at the meeting, the fire tax will go up by 0.201 mills to 0.621 mills, or $62.10 a year for the owner of a property assessed at $100,000.
A portion of the fire tax fund goes for new apparatus, a portion for equipment repair and a portion for general purposes, including workers' compensation, vehicle insurance, fuel, fire prevention materials and the annual end-of-year appropriation, according to Noonan.
The money distributed this week goes to pay fire company bills that parallel the kind of bills that businesses and households accrue: electric, natural gas, water, sewer and maintenance -- along with bills for firefighter equipment, said United Fire Chief Rusty Shoenfelt.
"Nothing is getting cheaper," Shoenfelt said.
Twenty years ago, it cost about $3,000 to fully outfit a firefighter, Shoenfelt said.
Now, the coat alone costs $2,000, he said.
Major apparatus is also much more expensive.
A little more than 20 years ago, a ladder truck cost $600,000, Patterson said. Now, it costs $1.6 million.
The Second Class Township Code limits the millage that municipalities like Logan can assess for fire service to 3, Noonan said.
The only way to go beyond that level is by referendum, she said.
In 2005, after a campaign to increase funding for the fire companies, voters in a referendum overwhelmingly approved an additional 3 mills, according to a narrative on the township website.
The 6 mill fire tax that resulted generated $420,000 annually, according to the website.
Blair County's general reassessment several years ago practically made the 3 mill limit moot, because it brought assessed values up to 100% of market values, which in turn reduced millage needed to generate funding for the fire service far below the statutory maximum, Noonan said.
Each of the fire companies supplement their township tax support with annual Community Fund Drives, generating money that goes for utilities, equipment, training and safety measures, according to the website.
Leaders in the companies also go after grant money for specific equipment like imaging cameras for building searches, breathing apparatus and personal protective equipment, according to the website.
"We appreciate the supervisors' support," Shoenfelt said. "It helps us not to have to focus all our efforts on fundraising."
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.