Spuck outlines proposed program to incentivize volunteer firefighters

Northampton County officials are considering a new incentive program intended to provide more equitable benefits to qualified volunteer firefighters and emergency responders.

County Administrator Matt Spuck said the proposal grew out of individual meetings he held with the county’s fire departments to discuss their needs and challenges. One concern involved the county’s current incentive, which provides qualified volunteers with a credit of up to $125 on the personal property tax bill for a vehicle registered in their name.

Spuck said the program does not benefit all volunteers equally. Those who do not owe personal property taxes on a vehicle receive little or no benefit, while volunteers with more valuable vehicles may receive the full credit.

During the budget process, supervisors approved $40,000 for a revised volunteer incentive program. Under the proposal, the county would determine the number of qualified volunteers across all fire and rescue stations and divide the available funding equally among them.

Each station already submits an annual report identifying volunteers who meet established participation requirements, including responding to calls and assisting with fundraisers and other activities. The county would use those reports to calculate each station’s share of the funding.

Spuck offered an example in which 100 qualified volunteers would each represent $400 of the county’s $40,000 appropriation. Rather than issuing checks directly to the volunteers, the county would send the appropriate amount to each fire station.

The stations would then use the money for volunteer incentives, recruitment or retention. Spuck said one station might distribute the money directly to qualified volunteers, while another could use some of its allocation for a recruitment event. The precise use could vary by station as long as the money supports the purposes of the program.

“It levels the playing field among all volunteers,” Spuck said. “Nobody gets any more, nobody gets any less, as long as you’re a qualified volunteer.”

Officials estimated that the county has roughly 125 volunteers among its five stations, although not every member necessarily meets the qualifications for the incentive. The final distribution would be based on the actual number of qualified volunteers reported by each station.

Supervisors questioned whether allowing stations discretion over the money could result in volunteers receiving different benefits depending on their department. They also asked whether payments to individual volunteers could unintentionally create a legally recognized paid employment arrangement.

The county attorney said Virginia law allows local governments to donate money or property to volunteer firefighting organizations. However, he had not evaluated the separate question of whether a department’s distribution of money to individual volunteers could create employment-related legal consequences. Supervisors asked him to research the issue.

The proposed policy was postponed to allow additional review and discussion at the board’s next meeting. Officials said the current vehicle-tax vouchers generally must be prepared by Sept. 30, but the new arrangement would eliminate the need to apply the incentive directly to personal property tax bills.