SUNBURY — The Berkshire Township, Sunbury, Trenton Township and Galena Fire District is asking voters to renew its 4.85-mill operating levy and approve an additional 2.5 mills on Nov. 3.
The district, known as BST&G, provides fire protection to four communities without receiving money from their general funds. Instead, it relies primarily on property taxes to cover day-to-day operations.
If approved, auditors estimate the combined five-year, 7.35-mill operating levy will generate about $6.07 million annually, Chief Christopher Kovach previously told Sunbury City Council.
Currently, residents pay about $81.61 annually per $100,000 of their home’s market value toward the levy. Should the renewal with an increase pass, that cost would rise by about $87.50 to $169.11 annually per $100,000 of market value.
Rather than replacing the current levy with a new one, the district is going the renewal route to preserve existing state rollback credits for homeowners.
Of the existing 4.85 mills, 3 mills qualify for state rollback credits, meaning the state reimburses the district for a portion of what qualifying homeowners would otherwise pay. The remaining 1.85 mills and the proposed 2.5-mill increase do not qualify for those credits.
A replacement levy would eliminate the existing rollback credits and assess the entire levy at current property values, according to Kovach’s presentation to Sunbury City Council. BST&G expects the credits’ value to increase as the state provides additional property tax relief.
Richard Stewart, a BST&G firefighter and EMT who also serves as president of the district’s firefighters union, Local 5123, said property tax levies are the district’s only legally available funding source outside of grants.
“Because we’re a fire district, we’re not a city fire department, we’re not any single municipality, the only legal revenue source for us is by tax levy,” Stewart said.
“We can’t put on a sales tax, we can’t receive money directly from any of those municipalities’ general funds.”
With the funding the district has from the existing levy, Stewart said BST&G can operate for one additional year without a change in revenue.
However, if the levy failed to pass in November 2026, May 2027 and again in November 2027, Stewart said there are six firefighters who are currently paid via a federal grant who would “more than likely be looking at a layoff situation.”
He added there could be more layoffs depending on how far funding can stretch to November 2027, if the levy were to fail.
Additionally, Stewart said the district would have to pay to get their levy on the ballot in the spring because “there’s not a ballot in our area scheduled for spring.”
“This is essentially the best case, best time for us to go,” he said.
HOW THE LEVY WOULD GET SPENT, AND HOW BST&G STACKS UP ACROSS THE COUNTY:
BST&G’s levy history
Stewart said the district has historically passed levies “resoundingly well.”
“The closest levy that I can remember and that I’ve heard of was our levy to build the second station and potentially third station,” he said.
“I don’t remember the exact numbers, but it was around a 60-40 split [in favor].”
Stewart was referring to a roughly $9 million bond issue voters approved in 2022. BST&G used most of that funding to cover its share of the cost of Station 352, a joint facility shared with Delaware County EMS.
Some of the bond’s funding, as well as some of the revenue from this November’s levy, should it pass, would potentially go towards building the district’s third station, Station 353.
“Normally we have very good public support, we’re very visible,” Stewart said. “We try to do everything we can to both build and foster that relationship [with residents], but also acknowledge that we are public servants.”
How BST&G would use the funding
Despite Station 353 waiting in the wings at some point, BST&G plans to use a majority of the levy’s funding for staffing at Station 352.
“We don’t want to get to a point where we’d have to temporarily close the facility, they call that browning out a station,” Kovach previously told Sunbury City Council.
As mentioned, the levy would help retain the six firefighters the district has on staff thanks to grant funding. However, other uses could include:
- Helping facilitate National Fire Protection Association-compliant staffing for all three 24-hour shifts.
- Replacing an apparatus, fire engines, rescue and other vehicles at current prices.
- Possibly improving the district’s Insurance Services Office rating in terms of inspections, prevention, response and staffing.
- Preparing for Station 3 in 2028, if possible, as growth continues.
- Having more competitive compensation to retain staff from competing departments.
Stewart said rapid growth has strained the district as firefighters work to keep up with new roads and neighborhoods.
“There’s not a month that goes by where we’re not getting new roads to learn, new areas,” Stewart said.
Even near the new Station 352, he said, firefighters have responded to calls in areas they are still learning because of how quickly development is occurring.
Stewart said the department has built strong relationships with longtime and newer residents, who turn to firefighters for help even outside emergencies. But he also recognizes the financial pressure residents face.
“The relationship is there and I feel like they understand the need, but I also know that a lot of people are feeling a strain on property taxes,” Stewart said.
