Four Northwestern fire companies recently met to discuss the state’s Act 172 of 2016 regarding incentives for municipal volunteers of fire companies and nonprofit emergency medical services agencies.

The act allows municipalities to enact a tax credit against an active volunteer’s tax liability as a financial incentive to encourage individuals to volunteer or for former volunteers to consider rejoining as active volunteers.

Heidelberg Township supervisors reviewed the issue during their June 15 meeting.

The amount of any exemption would depend on the hours worked including training time.

The incentive would be 20 percent of township property taxes and a set amount of $6 from earned income tax.

Supervisor Steve Bachman said he would rather average times than keep individual records because it depends on how much time is put in.

Supervisor David Fink said he wants to keep the method consistent with the other townships.

He recommended they have a written agreement because some residents work in other townships, which has to be taken into consideration.

The state gave townships with fire companies authorization but did not provide guidelines.

“We’ll need an ordinance covering all four townships,” he said.

Resident Barbara Mathias said she heard a rumor the fire company wanted to buy an aerial truck.

Fink said that was wrong. The truck they want will cost $700,000 and trucks older than a certain age cannot be used anymore by state regulation.

She asked why the fire company in Germansville no longer has many functions.

Although the reason given is people do no want to help, resident Phyllis Breininger said she knows people willing to help.

Breininger said she does not know how often they rent the hall.

Fink said the raise in the fire tax is to cover expenses such as fuel and workmen’s compensation that the township used to pay directly and are now paid by the company.

The balance of $172,000 is the truck fund. Mathias said Heidelberg is the only local township with a fire tax.

She wanted to see the fire tax listed individually on the tax bill.

Fink replied the millage for the tax is listed and a little math will tell people how much it is.

Bachman said the fire tax will not be collected by the county for delinquency.

Susan Zellner, an auditor, said the fire company’s books are never audited, all they see is the portion covering the tax money.

“They need to clean up their books,” she said. “No one knows what their assets are.”

When fire police are asked to work outside their local municipality the request for their help will have to come from the municipality where they will help out.

Permission will be given for activities for the fire company’s local area all at once at the beginning of a year.

Resident Carl Breininger said some fire companies do not have fire police. He was told they have the firefighters cross trained to work as fire police.

Bachman said the number of fire calls and accident responses should be listed in the newspaper as it used to, so residents know what the fire companies do.