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ESD No. 1 tax increase fails

Proposition defeated by 433 votes



The Wise County Emergency Service District No. 1 ad valorem tax increase failed in Tuesday’s election.

Voters defeated the 7-cent tax rate increase per $100 value 57 percent to 43 percent. The proposal was made after the department recognized a need for new equipment, station renovations and paid firefighters.

Moving forward, Wise County ESD No. 1 will have to operate without the approximately $1 million extra revenue that the tax would have provided if the proposition passed.

Wise County ESD No. 1 Board President Ken Murray was hopeful about the election until receiving the final results. After the election, he said the department will continue to work tirelessly to protect residents.

“As an ESD, we are going to continue to provide the best service we can with the funds that are available,” Murray said.

Department members held fire forums in the community to answer questions and inform the public leading up to the election.

Wise County ESD No. 1 has worked to meet the increasing need and call volume as more residents move to the area.

The department’s call volume has increased by 81 percent over the last 10 years. In 2020, the department’s call volume was 949. The call volume is projected to reach 1,400 in 2022.

Expanding department personnel may become more difficult without the revenue from the proposed tax. Currently, the department has Chief Jason Paradise on duty during the day and a paid volunteer who works a 24-hour shift for a stipend. At night, another paid volunteer replaces Paradise. Without four personnel on duty at all times, the department cannot legally perform an interior attack on a fire upon arrival.

With additional revenue from the proposed rate increase, the department hoped to expand living quarters to house personnel at the station. The plans, if the increase passed, included adding two separate dormitories and bathrooms for male and female firefighters.

The majority of the department’s air packs do not meet National Fire Protection Association standards and were purchased in 2001. Paradise hoped to use the ad valorem tax to buy gear that meet the department’s cancer mitigation standards.

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