Fire tax rate will increase for many county residents: “An increase in fire taxes for certain areas of Frederick County is due in part to a last-minute decision by Commissioner Bruce L. Reeder, who changed his vote during a marathon meeting Tuesday night.
Reeder’s (D) decision to vote in favor of a tax increase, alongside Commissioners Michael L. Cady (R) and John R. Lovell (R), means property owners serviced by the Urbana, Braddock Heights and Carroll Manor volunteer fire companies will move from the ‘suburban’ fire tax district to the ‘urban’ district. This means that fire taxes will jump from 6.5 cents per $100 of assessed value to 13.5 cents.
Cady, Lovell and Reeder were then also voted to raise fire taxes in ‘suburban’ districts from 6.5 cents per $100 of assessed value to 8 cents.
‘This was a very difficult vote for me,’ Reeder said. ‘I know how important volunteer service is in our county. … I know how important it is for volunteer companies to respond to citizens in their community.'”
OK hold up. They are rasing the fire tax drastically in these areas when the county is going to have a 120 plus million dollar surplus? I hear a great sucking sound and it is lining the pockets of the county treasury.