Rostraver may create fire tax to help struggling fire departments

By Christine Haines
chaines@yourmvi.com

For the 17th straight year, it appears real estate taxes are holding steady in Rostraver Township, but property owners will be seeing a new tax on their bills to help cover the cost of fire protection.
In addition to the usual 15 mill property tax, an additional 3 mill tax may be instituted in 2021 for fire protection, according to the tentative spending plan introduced during Wednesday’s special commissioner’s meeting.
“I thought we wouldn’t have to implement the fire tax and if we ever got to that, we could do it incrementally over a couple of years,” said Rostraver Township Commissioner Devin DeRienzo. “Unfortunately, COVID-19 changed all that.”
DeRienzo said the township’s volunteer fire departments have been left without the usual means to raise funds as restrictions on gatherings have shut down bingos and other events.
“Eight months into the pandemic and no relief has been offered by the state,” DeRienzo said.
Commissioner Chairman John Lorenzo said the township had no option but to enact the fire tax.
“These fire departments are hurting badly. We had to do something to help,” Lorenzo said.
Lorenzo said having a dedicated funding source will allow fire departments to make plans for the future, whether it is building and equipment maintenance and upgrades or larger capital improvements.
Lorenzo and DeRienzo said helping to keep the volunteer departments afloat means a continuation of the 24-hour a day volunteer response residents are used to having without resorting to the much more expensive option of staffing a paid fire department.

To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Thursday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.