The Reserve Volunteer Fire Department has proposed that the township institute a 1-mill fire operations tax.
“The cost of firefighting is just excruciating right now. It’s unaffordable for us,” fire Chief Dave Moore Jr. said. “We’re expected to sell hoagies and do bingos. It’s not going to work.
“We’re one bad day away from closing the doors.”
For a property at Reserve Township’s median assessed value of $95,000, a 1-mill increase in the township’s 6.47-mill property tax rate would increase the annual bill by about $95, from about $615 to $710.
The Reserve Volunteer Fire Department was created in 2015 from the merger of the Mt. Troy and Spring Garden volunteer fire companies.
The department operates on a break-even budget, Moore said. In 2025, it spent about $196,400 on income of about $197,800, Moore said.
Reserve’s certified taxable value is about $162.8 million. At full value, 1 mill would generate close to $163,000.
Moore presented the department’s proposal to township commissioners at their July 1 meeting.
Fundraising is an “unpredictable” way to fund an emergency service, Moore said.
A tax “would significantly reduce our reliance on fundraising,” he said. “It’s going to stabilize us. It’s going to give us predictable income. It’s going to give us the ability to have a budget that we can actually plan for and figure out every year.”
With only about 22% of the township’s 1,500 households responding to the department’s annual request for donations, giving about $22,000 in total, or $67 on average, a fire tax would also be equitable, Moore said.
“It’s not fair that those 22% of the township are paying for fire protection for everybody else that’s not paying,” he said.
Moore said revenue from a tax would be used for operating expenses such as utilities, maintenance, training, apparatus, equipment and insurance.
“I understand times are tough. This is the last thing that the fire department wanted to do was come to the township and ask for a tax increase,” he said. “We understand everybody is under stress financially. So are we. In our opinion, we are a very significant asset to Reserve Township.”
The commissioners did not ask any questions or make any comments on Moore’s presentation during their meeting. Immediately after, commissioners President Ron Neurohr said they would discuss the department’s request.
“There’s no doubt they need funding to keep going,” Neurohr said.
Reserve now supports the fire department with an annual $35,000 contribution. It also pays for the department’s workers compensation insurance and for the fuel and liability insurance for its vehicles.
The township also rents space from the department, having the township office in the basement of the fire hall.
Under the First Class Township Code, Reserve can implement a fire tax of up to 3 mills without a voter referendum, according to Township Manager Jan Kowalski. A fire tax, if implemented, would be part of the township’s 2027 budget.
Kowalski found that 29 of the 130 municipalities in Allegheny County, 22%, assess a fire tax. They average 0.56-mill, ranging from 0.1583-mill in Neville Township up to 2 mills in Port Vue .
Four municipalities — Crescent, Dravosburg, Liberty and Whitaker — have 1 mill fire taxes, while Glassport assesses 1.25 mills, according to Kowalski’s research. The rest are below 1 mill.