WINFIELD, W.Va. — Putnam County voters will be asked again to consider an excess levy to fund the county’s fire service. A similar levy failed in 2022 when it garnered more than 50 percent of the vote, but needed 60 percent to be ratified.
Richard Pullin, Fire Administrator for Putnam County, said county attorneys re-examined the caveat and were able to successfully determine 50-Percent would have been sufficient. However, since so much time had passed they determined it would be unreasonable to try and revert back to the 2022 vote to implement the levy.
“We just wanted to put it back out on the ballot. It will be cleaner this time and it won’t have the EMS on there as well. We wanted to get that push from the public again to get more than 50 percent,” said Pullin.
This time around, 50-percent plus one is all the levy will need for passage and according to Pullin it is desperately needed since the county, safety-wise, is in a very difficult situation.
“Volunteerism is falling off nationwide and what volunteers we do have left are primarily working during the day to earn their living. That leaves us very short handed during the weekdays,” he said.
The city of Hurricane supplements the service with some paid positions in their volunteer fire department. Teays Valley also supplements fire fighting staff through EMS service, but when the levy failed in 2022 they were forced to cut back and currently do not have 24/7 staffing. Putnam County actually has eight volunteer fire departments and all would benefit from the levy.
Another point Pullin wanted to make was for many in the county, very little will change with the passage of the levy since it would replace the current fire service fee paid by all county households.
“The levy will replace the fire service fee. The way it’s structured based on property value, there will be citizens in the county who will save money. There will be a group of people who break even with a dollar or two difference. There will be some in the larger, higher end homes who will pay more,” said Pullin.
However, the fire service fee hasn’t increased in Putnam County since 2013. Pullin said trying to afford the costs of fire service in 2024 with a 2013 revenue stream is becoming impossible. He suggested the cost of a fire truck as an example. Prior to the pandemic, the Fire Service purchased a fire truck and before it was outfitted with tools and equipment the cost was $420,000. This year, the county purchased another fire truck and the stripped down cost was $760,0000, an increase of 60 percent in just four years.
“Something has to give, we cannot keep stretching what we’ve done,” he said.