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Thomas Ouellette
Last February, five townships voted to join the South Madison County Fire Territory. They also voted unanimously for a tax levy of $0.80 per $100 of assessed value, to help fund the expansion and improvements to fire and rescue services. The new property tax law, referred to as Senate Bill one, is a journey through the state House, caps the levy at just $0.40.

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Thomas Ouellette
South Madison Fire Territory Chief Chris Nodine says the territory's coverage area is just too big for that 40 cent levy to work.

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Chris Nodine
If you have two participating units, yeah, that $0.40 may work. With Eight it doesn't work. And that's where I we need to really concentrate is, you know, not all our territories are the same.

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Thomas Ouellette
Republican State Representative Kyle Pierce represents the area. He says there are still avenues for the fire territory to secure funding.

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Kyle Pierce
They have the ability to go, to ask for funding. And that's part of the shift that we're talking about in SB one is saying trying to have it where government has had to be so reliant upon property tax.

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Thomas Ouellette
Should the expansion go through, rural stations in the territory would be able to employ full time firefighters, provide them with better equipment and give them retirement benefits. Thomas Ouellette IPR news.