Fire/Emergency Medical Services: District 7
As directed by the Board of Supervisors, the FY 08 Proposed
Fiscal Plan establishes a Fire and Emergency Medical
Services Tax District to provide a dedicated funding
stream for Loudoun County fire and rescue services and the
volunteer companies. Establishment of a fire/EMS district is
authorized by the Code of Virginia Section 27-23.1.
The new district is supported by a levy on real property
located within Loudoun County. All revenue from the tax
district will be placed in a special revenue fund.
Expenditures associated with the Department of Fire, Rescue
& Emergency Management, including aid to the volunteer fire
and rescue companies, and for facilities and technology
infrastructure support will be allocated to this fund, as
will expenditures associated with the repayment of debt on
the purchase of fire apparatus and the renovation and
construction of county fire stations. The fund will also
support fire and rescue communications operations that were
once covered by county E-911 revenues.
The Fire and Emergency Medical Services Tax District has a
real property tax rate of $0.043 per $100 assessed value.
Background
The provision of fire and rescue services in Loudoun
County has become an increasingly important issue. Changes
in volunteer recruitment and retention patterns, combined
with continuing population growth and increased construction
densities, led the Board of Supervisors to commission an
outside study of the county's fire and rescue system. In
October, 2000, the Board contracted with the EMSSTAR Group
to develop a strategic plan for the delivery of fire, rescue
and emergency management services. The consultant presented
its findings in October, 2001. The EMSSTAR report, which
consisted of 17 separate findings, included the
recommendation that the county establish a single special
taxing district for fire and emergency services to ensure
that this important function will be adequately funded. This
recommendation was subsequently endorsed by a special task
force of the Loudoun County Fire-Rescue Commission, which
provides oversight for the county's volunteer fire
companies, as the most effective tool to generate the
funding necessary to implement a comprehensive reform of the
existing fire and rescue system.
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