Funding for Volunteer Fire Departments and EMS Should Not Include Tax Increases

There is no doubt that the volunteer fire departments and EMS across our state need financial assistance from the state to continue protecting the communities they serve.  Virtually every legislator in this state agrees that something needs to be done and that the funding should be meaningful and immediate.  The disagreement is on how the state should fund the money so desperately needed by volunteer fire departments and emergency services.  Both prevailing revisions being proposed by the House and the Senate of what was HB3153 each include new taxes on homeowners in this state.  Some will mistakenly argue that it is not a tax, it is a surcharge.  There is no difference between the two when it comes to the fact that the government will be taking more hard-earned money from middleclass families.

It is important to note that the House and Senate each passed HB3153 on the last day of the regular session.  This bill would have ensured funding for volunteer fire departments and emergency services by redirecting excess lottery funds on an annual basis and would have done so without any new taxes or surcharges.  After the Senate passed HB3153, unanimously, they took the unusual procedural step of reconsidering their vote and then inexplicably refused the exact same version of the bill that they had just passed.  The Senate erupted in laughter as President Blair made jokes and the vital funding for these essential services came to a strange and shameful end.    

Like many hotly contested issues that take place in Charleston, this debacle could have and should have been avoided.  Leadership and the powers that be made sure that hundreds of millions of dollars were given to international corporations, but then failed to take care of the very people that our families depend on to keep our communities safe and answer the call when disaster strikes.  

While my support for our firefighters and EMS personnel is unwavering, I cannot in good consciencevote for any bill that raises taxes on the people of this state while we sit on a 1.8-billion-dollar surplus.  While the governor and the establishment like to pat themselves on the back when it comes to this surplus, the reality is that they are simply taking too much from the people and not paying for the basic functions of government in the process.  That is nothing to brag about, instead it is a clear example of a government whose priorities do not align with the people who they are supposed to represent.

Todd Kirby is a member of the WV House of Delegates.