Commissioners plan to visit rescue squad locations before deciding on increase | News

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WECT) - Commissioners in Columbus County will discuss the possibility of increasing the county's rescue tax, and they have announced that they will visit all eight rescue squad locations before making a decision.

Emergency workers are asking commissioners to increase the rescue tax by two cents.

Many of them say the tax hasn't been raised in 12 years, when it started at two cents, but the costs of insurance, medical bills, and gas have gone up.

Rescue squad officials are hoping for a speedy decision.

"I know the county requires us to be an eye-level squad, but if you get to the point where you don't have any eyes, what do you do?" said John Ward with Nakina Fire & Rescue. "You go back to the basics. Then the county has to look at taking over our squad. That's what they promised the people of the community -- offer an intermediate response."

Commissioners say that since a tax increase would affect many people, they need to have meetings at all rescue squads to get information out to everyone.

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