DOBSON — Several local fire departments met with a subcommittee of the Surry County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night to make what one official described as “modest” budget requests.

County Manager Dennis Thompson said, “They were very modest, but still that doesn’t mean the commissioners as a whole will approve them.”

Thompson said the commissioners are dedicated to not increasing the county tax rate. He said it would be a difficult decision for them, deciding whether to keep fire district tax rates the same or not.

Board Chairman Paul Johnson was at the meeting, and he said, “More than likely there will be very little increases if any this year.”

He added, though, that several departments have special circumstances that the commissioners will have to evaluate very carefully.

“We don’t want to (raise fire district taxes) unless it’s an absolute have to,” Johnson remarked.

Of the nine departments that attended the meeting, four did not request an increase. These were White Plains Volunteer Fire Department, South Surry VFD, Mountain Park VFD and Pilot Knob VFD. Four Way VFD and Franklin VFD may need increases but were not sure yet of the final amounts needed due to uncertain figures with some of their projects. Bannertown VFD requested a 1.5-cent increase, Skull Camp VFD a 1-cent increase and Westfield a 1.5-cent increase.

For the 2009-10 fiscal year, the county’s fire district taxes ranged from 4 cents on $100 in Pilot Knob VFD district, which also receives funding from Stokes County, to 10 cents on $100 in Jot-Um-Down VFD district.

Westfield VFD, which also receives funding from Stokes, has a fire tax rate in Surry of 4.7 cents. Bannertown VFD’s fire tax rate is at 5.5 cents, and Skull Camp VFD has a tax rate of 8 cents. Four Way VFD’s rate is 7.5 cents, while Franklin’s is 5.6 cents.

Johnson said, “We’re working to keep it down, and I think we can do that.”

In recent years, Johnson and Thompson said there have been few increases to fire district tax rates in the county.

Jeff Inman, chief of Westfield VFD, said his department probably hasn’t had a tax rate increase in many years. He said, “And we probably needed an increase a few years ago.”

He said the department has been putting off purchasing additional equipment, which is needed to help lower its ISO rating which is used to calculate fire insurance premiums for homeowners in the community.

“The balloon keeps getting bigger and bigger on things, and you can’t keep putting it off,” Inman remarked. “We need the increase to be able to offer the same level of services we’re offering now.”

Inman said, “We’re trying to help the taxpayer. I pay taxes, too.”

Bannertown VFD also needs additional equipment to lower its ISO rating, according to Rondale Ratcliff, president of the fire department’s board of directors. He said the department also is facing rising fuel costs and other increasing costs. He said the money that a lower ISO rating would save homeowners would more than offset the cost of the 1.5-cent increase to the fire district tax.

“It would mean a lot to us to get it,” said Ratcliff of the increase.

Still, he said the increase was “debated greatly” amongst the board.

“We didn’t want to ask for any increase ... We and everyone else in the community know how tough this economy is. We wouldn’t have asked for it if we didn’t really need it,” said Ratcliff.

Pine Ridge Volunteer Fire Department also was scheduled to present at the meeting but did not attend. Thompson said all county fire departments were invited to attend, but the meeting was not mandatory.

“It was a very good meeting,” said Johnson. “Everybody was straightforward with everybody.”

The subcommittee will soon present the requests to the full board of commissioners. The commissioners will make the final decision in setting the fire district tax rates.

Contact Meghann Evans at mevans@mtairynews.com or 719-1952.