Salisbury proposes 'life and safety fee' of up to $300 for residents: What to know

The city of Salisbury has proposed a "Fire and Life Safety Fee" of up $300 to be imposed on both commercial and residential addresses.

According to a statement by the city, the fee "would increase funding to the Salisbury Fire Department by a total of over $4.5 million, and allow the department to ensure that the apparatus, equipment and stations are the most up to date and are maintained in proper working order to best serve the residents of the Salisbury Fire District."

Here's what to know about the proposal made to City Council during budget presentations.

How much would the proposed fee be?

The proposed fee structure would assess:

• Commercial I, Commercial Condominium, Country Club and Industrial locations: $300

• Residential, Commercial Residential, Residential Condominium and Town House: $300

• Apartments per unit: $50

• Exempt, or any, except city and county owned properties, a fee of $300

This is an annual fee billed and collected with property taxes to support fire protection services and would begin on July 1, 2023, just in time for fiscal year 2024.

Salisbury fire chief explains what fee would be used for

“The Fire and Life Safety Fee will ensure the continued success of the Salisbury Fire Department. The fire service has entered into a very competitive evolutionary cycle,” said Salisbury Fire Department Chief John Tull. “Public demands and calls for service continue to increase, while available funds and resources continue to shrink. This fee will provide the necessary funding to purchase needed personal protective equipment, medical supplies, and assist with recruiting and retaining quality members."

Tull noted the department's "mission" always will be to provide the highest quality service possible to the community and its residents.

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The goal: A 'four-minute response time'

The same statement by the city also explained the department works to meet an international standard 4-minute response time to all calls for service.

Yet staffing shortages, aging equipment and increased community growth add obstacles to that goal.

“The importance of the Fire and Life Safety Fee cannot be understated. Public safety is our number one priority, and now is the time to invest in it,” said Mayor Jack Heath. “The Salisbury Fire Department responded to over 16,000 calls in 2022, and that number has gone up every single year for the last five years. The current model is not sustainable.”

Due to inflation and "an unprecedented cost of operations," the Fire and Life Safety Fee is necessary to fund and maintain the standard of service provided by the Salisbury Fire Department. Without this additional funding, the proposal argued, the department may have to significantly reduce service area and special programs.

Currently, the fee cannot offer a reduction to any residents based on income.

Find out how the fire safety fee might impact you

The public is urged to see if they are in the impacted district using the city's website.

"These rates are chosen based on market research and an assessment of our fire services. The Salisbury Fire Service District is the area served by the Salisbury Fire Department, established through an agreement between the city of Salisbury and Wicomico County. The district comprises six smaller districts that are served by Stations 1, 2, and 16, and expands beyond city limits to include select areas of Wicomico County," the statement said.

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The proposal noted that while the public already pays taxes for community services, this proposal is classified as a fee and can be assessed separately.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: What to know as Salisbury proposes 'life and safety fee' of up to $300