Warren County may soon change the way it funds its six volunteer fire departments.

County Fire Coordinator Jerry Briggs asked the Warren County Board of Supervisors during its work session Monday to consider shifting its fire protection funding method for the next fiscal year from a mixture of taxes, money from the state and money from the board’s budget to just an increase in taxes.

“Right now there’s no money available for maintenance. Under this plan, this would allow us some money to at least protect our investment,” Briggs said. “I think you’d see a lot of improvements in fire service.”

The board currently uses tax dollars to pay for the position of fire coordinator, and all other expenses are paid for through a combination of state fire rebate money and money from the county’s budget, according to county administrator John Smith. Briggs said the county’s six fire departments currently split $102,000 equally to pay for costs. He said the state’s fire rebate money can only be used for specific costs like training, equipment and insurance for fire trucks, leaving departments cash poor because they can only spend rebate money on a limited number of things and vulnerable because they rely on state funds that may or may not be given to the departments.

To improve the county’s fire service, he approached the commission to ask for a millage increase from .25 to 1.25 in order to pay for services, reduce reliance on state funds and provide funding for fire engine maintenance.

“I don’t foresee the state taking (away) the money, but I don’t want to depend on it. Who knows what’s going to happen,” he said. “I kind of look at the state money as casino money—it may be here this year and it may not be here the next. If we don’t do something different, you’ll have three protection districts for the whole county.”

Assistant Chief Tim Bordelon of the Bovina Volunteer Fire Department expressed his concern for how lack of state funds would impact service.

“If we lose that $16,000 from the state and it’s not made up somehow, it would impact us a great deal, and if it’s going to impact us (with a protection district), I know it will really affect the (two) without a district.”

The additional proposed millage would increase the taxes on a property assessed at $100,000 from approximately $2.50 to $12.50.

Citizens living within the four organized county fire districts—Culkin, Bovina, Fisher’s Ferry and Eagle Lake—will add the tax increase to the 4 mills they already pay as part of their fire districts, and those outside of a district will pay 1.25 mills under the proposed plan.

Smith said the increased millage would generate approximately $214,000 under the new plan that would be unrestricted money, unlike the money from the state.

“It would help trucks get service to prolong their life,” he said.