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JACKSON – After an initial attempt was denied last year, the volunteer fire departments of Conway and Severn were finally successful in establishing fire tax districts.

The Northampton County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved both requests during their meeting on June 16.

A fire tax district imposes a tax on its citizens that goes to support the local fire department and its operations. Conway and Severn were the last two fire departments in Northampton County that had not already established a tax district.

Conway VFD requested a seven-cent tax per $100 of valuation, and Severn VFD requested five and a half cents per $100 of valuation.

In June 2024, a public hearing was held by the county commissioners to receive citizen input about the proposed districts, which extend several miles outside of each town. Many citizens who spoke during that meeting – particularly those who lived within the proposed tax district but not inside the town limits – said they didn’t think they had received adequate notice of the proposal beforehand. Because of those concerns, the commissioners voted to deny the request at that time.

Since then, both fire departments restarted the process to establish the districts, which included holding more public information meetings about the districts.

The commissioners held a public hearing on June 9 to receive citizen input on the proposed districts. While members of the Conway and Severn fire departments gave an overview of why they were making the request, no one else opted to speak at that meeting.

Volunteer fire department representatives from both departments explained that costs to stay in operation have risen too high to be covered by grants and the fundraisers they conduct each year. Severn VFD, for example, hosts an annual turkey shoot fundraiser, and Conway sells plate dinners regularly to raise money.

But it costs about $13,000 to outfit one firefighter in their required personal protective equipment.

Volunteer fire departments must also make sure their trucks and other equipment are up to required standards, and carry required insurance. And the cost to replace a truck has gone up substantially in recent years as well. According to members of Conway VFD, a truck they purchased in 2017 for $263,000 would have a price tag of over $600,000 today.

According to information submitted to the commissioners, the population of the Conway fire tax district is 3,100 and the appraised value of property subject to taxation totals $231 million. For the Severn fire tax district, the population total is 993, and the total appraised value of property subject to taxation is $138 million.

All fire tax districts in Northampton County are included in the budget ordinance, which was also approved by the commissioners during their June 16 meeting. The budget for the new fiscal year takes effect on July 1.