City of Salisbury Proposes Fire and Life Safety Fee
If you live in Salisbury, the City might soon implement a fee that would help fund the Salisbury Fire Department. City officials have proposed a Fire and Life Safety Fee to all residents of the Salisbury Fire Service District. The proposal is due to supply chain and inflation issues–rising indirect costs–like training, equipment maintenance, and facilities upkeep—and also because the American Rescue Plan (ARP) grant funding is no longer available. Revenue from the fee would increase funding to the Salisbury Fire Department by a total of over $4.5 million.
The Fire and Life Safety Fee would fund several critical functions of the Salisbury Fire Department, including competitive compensation for incoming and current personnel, capital purchases, and additional operating expenses due to a required expansion of services in response to community growth. The fee would also ensure adequate staffing and resources to respond to significant unplanned events (i.e. bomb threats, active assailant events, and mass casualty incidents).
As proposed, the fee would only apply to those who live in the Salisbury Fire Service District, which includes all residents of the City of Salisbury and select areas of Wicomico County. To view the Salisbury Fire Service District map and determine if your property may be impacted, please visit https://tinyurl.com/sfdistrict. The fee amount is determined based on parcel type. To view fee amounts, visit https://salisbury.md/fire-and-life-safety-fee.
