By Claire Sachse
At a public meeting held Aug. 19 by the Foothills Fire District Commission board at the Landrum Depot, the Landrum Fire Department presented a request to the board and the public for comment regarding the formation of a Special Purpose District. This was the second of two public input sessions held before the commission will vote on the request in September.
Landrum Fire Chief Warren Ashmore’s proposal would create a fire district that would include Landrum Fire Department’s current coverage area surrounding the city of Landrum, and cross the county line into Greenville County into an estimated two square mile area south of Lake Lanier that would include portions of the 29356 zip code. That area is currently covered by the Landrum Fire Department under a contract with Greenville County.
By law, a county line has to be crossed in order to form an SPD, according to Dick Locke, chairman of the Foothills Fire District Commission. But once an SPD is formed, the SPD will be able to increase fire millage for the entire service area.
Landrum’s current fire millage is 10.5 mils, a figure that has remained unchanged since 2009. In 25 years, according to Ashmore, Landrum’s fire millage has only increased by 1.8 percent.
“An SPD comes down to funding,” said Ashmore, “and funding improves services. There’s no way to sugarcoat that.”
Ashmore cited several ways the department could improve services with an increased budget, including 24-hour paid staff coverage of the fire station with two firefighters who are EMT certified, enhanced training, equipment upgrades and infrastructure improvements. He added that quicker response times, enhanced community awareness projects and improved ISO ratings would be benefits to the community.
Ashmore’s proposal included doubling the current millage rate of 10.5 mils to 21 mils. He used his personal residence with a tax value of $177,000 as an example to illustrate how a millage increase would affect his yearly tax bill. The increased millage would add $72.92 to his yearly tax bill.
According to Ashmore, communities near Landrum and the proposed SPD include Campobello with a fire millage of 26.7 mils, Gowensville with 23.6 mils and Glassy Mountain with 23.3 mils.
“You have a choice when it comes to fire service,” said Ashmore. “If my [insurance] premiums go up and my fire response stays the same, I’ve gained nothing. At least if I raise my taxes, I’m getting something. I’m getting better services. If I don’t raise it, my fire service is not going to change, you can’t improve, your money is strapped.”
Jack Saunders, a resident of the Foothills Fire District, asked if the fire department’s budget is doubled from its current $205,701, how quickly the department could be staffed with two paid employees. Ashmore said that could happen “almost immediately.”
Bob Walker, former state legislator, answered audience questions about the legislative process to create the SPD. He said the earliest a bill could be filed would be December 2014. He added that the Spartanburg County Delegation would shepherd the process.
Henry Turner, a resident of Glenolden Road off Lake Lanier, which lies just outside the proposed SPD in the Greenville County area covered by a contract with Tryon, said that he thinks his area should be included in the SPD.