Tusayan Fire District Seeks Help To Keep the Community Safe
April 28, 2013
Falling property values have hit the Tusayan Fire District in a big way. Values dropped another 3.18% this year and that is costing the District more than $52,000 grand. Meanwhile grants for additional staff have dried up and Coconino County has been slow to update added property values any improvements that have been made.
That’s the climate the Tusayan Fire District is in as it asks for help from the Tusayan Town Council. It’s asking the council’s help to cover the cost of two Firefighters/EMTs. Tusayan’s high volume of traffic creates more than its normal share of injury accidents. And there are no other fire districts in the area which means when bad things happen in Valle, it’s the Tusayan Fire District to the rescue.
On April 17th The Fire district asked for $148,000 a year from the Town to cover this rough patch. Fire Board Member John Vail said it’s not a permanent problem. Property values are expected to increase in the coming years and when that happens the District will be in much better shape.
Councilman Bill Fitzgerald remains a strong supporter of the idea and the Fire District. He noted, “If we had our own Fire department (as opposed to an independent district), we would be spending a lot more money.” He added, “I don’t think there are any doubts that the District is doing a fantastic job.” The rest of the council still wants to study the idea.
The news isn’t all bad. The council did hand the district a check for more than $30,000 to cover the cost of a pre-owned ladder truck. That’s a bargain considering the cost of a new truck would be in the six figure range. The truck is also expected to the lower the cost of fire insurance for the Town.