10/15/2026
A few folks are discussing the upcoming referendum on various community discussion boards, below is some information we've shared on those comments.
In my comments below you'll see references to a number of currently unfunded capital projects that have been itemized with rough estimates. These projects are consistent with our long range plan (first presented to the tax commission in 2008, revised and re-presented multiple times over the years to multiple county councils, county administrators, and tax commissioners). Most of these projects were on the approved budgets for several years as well (but we're unfunded because of the limited funding available from the current 8 mil tax).
We agree there's never a "good" time to raise taxes, but it's our duty as the fire department to give the people the option and our best effort to recommend solutions that sustain the level of fire protection services we think the community expects and deserves.
We've served the community since 1978, and for 34 years the tax rate has not increased above the original 8mils even as our community, service expectations, call volume, training, facility, equipment and operating costs, have all grown significantly.
The tax rate increase we're recommending is an additional 8mils which for an average residential owner with $300,000 of assessed property value the added cost will be $96 per year (that's only $8 per month). Your specific cost will depend on your property value. The question were really asking is "are you willing to pay a little more to maintain good fire protection and support the unpaid volunteers serving our community by helping them have good equipment and facilities?"
We appreciate the questions. Asking some questions is a reasonable and responsible thing to do and we've reached out to a few venues over the last few weeks about using they're facilities for public meetings and are waiting to confirm some of those details so keep an eye on our page for those opportunities. But we also just hosted an Open House where we answered a few questions, plus we're at the station for meetings and training every Tuesday night so feel free to stop by. Additonally, we've made alot of face to face contact in the community as well as alot of info posted and commented on Facebook.
Here's some of the info you may have missed from our Facebook posts earlier this year when this process began:
The most significant, immediate needs:
The additional funding will be used to support some of the currently unfunded projects and general operations already listed in our approved budget and further explained below. Apparatus replacement and facility renovations are the 2 most significant, however there are a myriad of other operational costs that will be impacted without this funding in that we must perform some of these projects in order to maintain the basic functionality of the department.
The Annual Budget:
The Grassy Pond Volunteer Fire Dept, Inc budget is submitted annually to Cherokee County Council and the Tax Commission. The 2025-26 submitted O&M budget was $203,402 for 2026-27 it is $223,785. There is also an unfunded capital equipment and project budget that we have submitted for a number of years as well. For 25-26 those capital needs were expected to cost $760,900, for 26-27 that number has grown to $803,250. These capital needs include annual apparatus reserve fund allocations, debt service for proposed building renovations, major equipment replacements, and SCBA replacements.
We don't know exactly what the County or Tax Commission will collect for the current year, however, we projected the income for 26-27 to be approximately $213,000 from the current 8mil tax, the County operating budget includes an additional $60,000 that is allocated to all the volunteer fire departments in the county.
Capital reserve funds on hand:
We currently have on hand approximately $680,000 allocated to the capital reserve fund that has been developed over many years through careful financial management and conservative spending. This fund was established as part of the master plan in order to ensure funding is available as down payment for apparatus and for major equipment repair/replacement. It was built with an annual allocation form the budget every year beginning in 2008 and was the down payment for Engine 33 in 2017 which was the last major apparatus purchase, since that time the fund has been rebuilt in anticipation of additional major capital purchases which are imminent. The apparatus replacement/refurbishment costs alone are projected to be $1.2 million over the next 5 years. This fund will provide refurbishment of the 27 year old Tanker 32 and will be the down payment (supplemented by a financed loan) when Engine 31 is replaced (it will be 36 years old at the time in 5 years). Furthermore there are significant additional critical facilities and equipment needs that must be completed in the next few years in order to maintain our level of service. All of our SCBA should replaced as soon as possible, our radios are not designed for firefighting operations, our facility has no showers, decon areas, bunk rooms, or apparatus bay space that will serve modern fire trucks; additionally the entire HVAC system, plumbing, roof, and electrical systems need major upgrades.
You're welcome to visit the station any Tuesday night at 630PM for a tour. To provide a brief summary: In addition to the apparatus and facilities needs discussed above, all SCBA are more than 18 years old and 3 NFPA cycles out of compliance, they are now considered obsolete and repair parts have become unavailable; "bunker gear" used for interior firefighting must be replaced once it is 10 years old from the date of manufacture regardless of condition (this is an NFPA requirement). Engine 31 is a 1994 model due for replacement at age 36, Engine 32 is a 2001 model expected to remain in service until 2044, and Engine 33 is a 2017 model expected to remain in service until 2048. Additionally major apparatus are Tanker 31 (2011 model) and Tanker 32 (1994 model), beyond the replacement costs are the annual maintenance and operating costs, such as annual NFPA performance testing, PM's, tires, fuel, oil, etc. Our main fire trucks and equipment are in relatively good condition for their ages because we are careful with them and perform as much maintenance and repair as we think we can judiciously afford while adhering to the master plan and working within the available funding. However, without the additional funding we will likely reduce the size of the fleet in the coming years as well as stretch the life expectancy farther for the units we keep in service.
We hope we've answered thoroughly and that you'll consider supporting us with a yes vote.
