lawrenceburgnow.com
lawrenceburgnow.com
Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Commission Decides Not To Cut Fire Department Funding

    Members of the Lawrence County Commission’s budget Committee opted during a meeting Tuesday afternoon not to cut funding for the county’s volunteer fire departments; an intent they expressed just a week before.

    Members of that committee had voted during a meeting last week to cut funding to the county’s twelve volunteer fire departments by some $6,000 apiece – one move intended to help balance the county’s 2008-2009 budget.

    Volunteer firefighters turned out in force multiple times in opposition to the move. They expressed concerns that such cuts would not allow for the departments to continue to operate. In such a case area residents would suffer decreased fire protection in their homes as well as crash scenes. In addition, it would likely cause the county’s fire rating to increase, resulting in increased insurance premiums for county residents.

    During Tuesday’s meeting committed members opted to restore all fire department funding in full.

    Other reductions being considered by committee members include:  eliminating a planned purchase of an ambulance; cutting funding to non-profit organizations; eliminating the fourth crew of the Lawrence County Ambulance Service; and cutting the salaries of county commissioners from $200 to $100 per month.

 

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