A Raleigh County official is urging residents to vote in favor of a new fire levy.
Raleigh County fire levy coordinator Kevin Price tells the Register-Herald the new levy, which will be on the May 10 ballot, is cheaper than the previous levy, which already lowered home insurance rates in some areas. He says the levy brings benefits to the firefighting abilities of departments in the county.
The new levy should lower property taxes by 21 percent.
Price says there are still residents who don’t agree with the fire levy.
Price says most fire departments receive about $40,000 per year from the state. The state also requires that departments have workers’ compensation and insurance.
He says that last year, the Beaver Fire Department spent $60,000 on bills, meaning they had to come up with $20,000.