The City of Frederick may look into running its own fire and rescue companies.Mayor Jeff Holtzinger met this week with leaders from the city's four fire and rescue companies to talk about fire taxes.
The city has received complaints for about a year about over-response to fire calls, Holtzinger said.
He wants to determine how much city residents are paying for the county's urban tax district, and how much they are getting out of it.
"If there's a way we could operate companies at less expense, then I think the city has got to do due diligence in checking that out," Holtzinger said.
The concept has not been shared with the Frederick County Commissioners, who oversee the Fire and Rescue Services Division and impose taxes in the fire tax districts.
Holtzinger said he has perceived a lack of action from the county, he said, and he wanted the city to start gathering information.
Commissioner John L. Thompson Jr. submitted a Public Information Act request for documents related to the meeting. Holtzinger has said he will provide the commissioner with a sign-in sheet.
Thompson said he could understand why the city would take a look at the fire services, but he wants the county to be involved in discussions.
"My concern is that all the issues get addressed," he said. "That they don't just say 'County commissioners, you're going to have all the costs, but we're going to decide everything.'"
Thompson has proposed that the county seek input on establishing separate tax districts for each fire company. The county now has only two districts: urban and suburban.
Within those, volunteers have little incentive to raise money for equipment or find cost savings because if they don't spend the county's money, another company will, Thompson said.
"The system, the way it's set up now, there's no incentive for anybody to save anything," Thompson said. "The incentive is to get everything you can because the other companies are helping to pay for it."
Holtzinger told an anecdotal story about a city fire company that raised money for a new ambulance. The members thought it would save the county money. Instead, the county bought a new ambulance for another area.
"You got to look at the facts and try to make a good business decision," he said.
The four companies that cover the city are Independent Hose, Junior Fire, United Steam Fire Engine and Citizens Truck.
Martin Fuller, president of Independent Hose, said that most of the meeting with the mayor revolved around a response to Thompson's proposal for single tax districts.
The central question is whether taxes for city residents can be reduced.
"How much money does the city take in in fire taxes and the areas that it serves, and how much goes out to other companies to support them?" Fuller asked.
Independent Hose has provided its budget to the city.
County officials are considering separate tax districts, but they warn that dividing the fire services would not be as easy as paying for fire equipment or personnel in each area.
For instance, companies would need to work out whether they respond to emergencies outside their "first due" area.
If municipalities oversaw local companies, distribution of training costs would be more complicated. The county is building an expanded emergency training complex.
Commissioners President Jan Gardner asked if the city would buy county-owned firetrucks and ambulances back from the county. She thinks the county should continue to oversee fire and rescue.
"I don't think it makes sense to divide up the fire service," Gardner said. "I think it would be just more expensive in the long run."
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