PA County Battles Volunteer FF Shortage by Buning Tax Bills

York County commissioners on Wednesday took the boldest step yet in Pennsylvania to address the ongoing shortage of volunteers staffing fire departments and non-profit emergency medical service providers by expanding its property tax rebate program to cover their full county real estate tax bills.

The commissioners unanimously approved a resolution to provide up to a 100% rebate on county taxes for individuals who maintain active volunteer service as well as those who are unable to do so because of an injury in the line of duty.

York County is the only county that the state fire commissioner’s office has on record offering this level of incentive for municipal volunteers of fire companies and nonprofit emergency medical services agencies.

This step builds on the York’s existing rebate program instituted in 2022 that covered up to 50% of county taxes, which one fire chief claims was the most aggressive at the time. Cumberland County that year put in place a credit of up to $250 on county real estate tax bills. Dauphin County last year introduced its own $250 tax credit to promote volunteerism in the first responder community.

“The action we took today will move the needle on strengthening our local fire services across the county,” said President Commissioner Julie Wheeler. “York County is safer with a robust base of volunteers and this program is designed to do just that.”

A message left with a county official to gauge the cost of this program was not immediately returned.

For context, York County’s tax rate is 6.9 mills, a volunteer who has a home assessed at $100,000 would be eligible for up to $690 in tax relief.

A law enacted in 2020 allowed counties and school districts to offer up to 100% of their tax liability, up from 20% allowed under a 2016 law, as an incentive to recruit and retain first responders.

Regardless of the cost, Chad Deardorff, president of the York County Fire Chiefs Association, spoke to the even greater cost that citizens would bear if they had to staff a paid full-time fire department.

“The cost savings the average citizen receives is significant for municipalities who have volunteer firefighters and is often inadvertently taken for granted,” he said.

The number of volunteers statewide has been shrinking over the last several decades for a variety of reasons from an uptick in the number of calls in growing municipalities to the training required, to more individuals having to work one or two jobs to support their families and not having time to volunteer. This, in turn, impacts public safety by making response times longer.

To be eligible for a 100% rebate, volunteers must accumulate 100 points over the course of a year with various number of points assigned for emergency responses, training sessions and meetings attended, work details completed and fire prevention activity participation. Volunteers who accumulate 50 points would be eligible for a 50% tax rebate.

Brad Dauberman, fire chief of Shrewsbury Volunteer Fire Company, said the commissioners’ decision to increase the rebate could help fire departments and EMS providers turn the corner on their volunteer shortage and “get residents to take notice.”

“Our goal is to get those residents in our door as well as increase participation among current volunteers,” Dauberman said. “I truly believe that York County has the best system in the commonwealth to help us do just that.”

Recently seated Commissioner Scott Burford said enhancing public safety was a cornerstone of his motivation to become a commissioner. “I am committed to taking bold action in my first month in office and this tax relief program is a healthy start to that commitment,” he said.

Commissioner Doug Hoke added, “These individuals give of their time and risk their lives for the safety of their friends and neighbors. I’m proud to support them by voting in favor of this tax relief plan.”

Jan Murphy may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X at @JanMurphy.