After public pressure from a neighboring town, South Coatesville may raise taxes to pay more for its fire service
As volunteer firefighting declines, Modena Fire Company needs to hire more paid staff to respond to emergencies, and the fire company relies on the municipalities that fund it for that.
South Coatesville could institute a tax hike to send more money to the primary fire company, which is facing financial headwinds due to dwindling volunteer numbers and the increasing need to rely on paid staff.
The borough council this week approved a preliminary budget that would include a millage increase, going from half a mill to 1.5 mills for fire and EMS. The board will vote to finalize the budget Nov. 24.
The move comes after South Coatesville elected officials were publicly pressed to “make a meaningful funding commitment” to Modena Fire Company in a letter penned by nearby East Fallowfield’s five supervisors, who felt they had been shouldering the fire company’s operating budget. Modena Fire Company covers all of Modena and South Coatesville boroughs, about half of East Fallowfield — split with Westwood Fire Company — and smaller portions of West Marlborough and Newlin Townships.
The proposed increase will send roughly $75,000 to Modena Fire Company, up from about $14,000 in 2026, said fire chief Frank Dowlin.
“The challenges are still there,” Dowlin said. “But this is a huge step as far as where we stand financially.”
The change would equate to an increase of roughly $100 for residents whose properties are assessed at $100,000, according to a councilmember.
In a letter to property owners, the borough explained that the increase would allow the fire company to “maintain its ability to provide these essential services to South Coatesville and the surrounding communities.”
“Much of this increased need is attributed to a decline in volunteer firefighters, resulting in a greater reliance on paid personnel to ensure adequate staffing and emergency response coverage,” wrote Steve Plaugher, borough manager.
The tax hike would restore funding first imposed in 2023, but dropped in subsequent years.
East Fallowfield is the largest contributor to the fire service’s budget, spending about $253,000 for fire operations, EMS, and capital expenses for just Modena Fire Company. The township called on South Coatesville last week to reinstate its tax, saying its current contribution was “inadequate.”
“The health, welfare, and safety of our residents transcend municipal boundaries. We believe a coordinated regional effort is essential to preserving Modena Fire Company’s services and protecting residents throughout the region,” the board members wrote in the letter. “We urge South Coatesville to participate in these discussions and make a meaningful funding commitment as part of its 2027 budget.”
Over time, Dowlin has watched the volunteer numbers shrink. The staffing issue was crystallized earlier this month when only two volunteers arrived at a late-night house fire, he said.
“We got to go to a fully paid model eventually. We’re going to do it in spurts,” he said. “But in order to do that, we need all the municipalities to buy in.”
He employs one dayside career firefighter, and has asked East Fallowfield to increase its contribution to hire a second full-time firefighter; the township could pay an additional $75,000 this year for that purpose, according to their letter.
Across the commonwealth, as volunteer firefighting declines, new financial challenges are cropping up for fire companies. In Chester County, regionalization of fire services and intermunicipal funding agreements aren’t new, but they’re becoming increasingly considered to stabilize budgets for both the fire companies and the municipalities that help fund them.
Earlier this year, 10 municipalities in the southern part of the county began negotiating an arrangement to pay for services from the newly merged Avondale and West Grove fire companies. They’re still working to get everyone to the table to make fair contributions.
For similar budgetary concerns, communities like South Coatesville have also begun to cut costs by disbanding their police departments and relying on the state police.
Dowlin said South Coatesville’s proposed tax increase is a relief.
“There is no state fire company going to come in here and provide you service,” he said. “If we go away, the next fire company over is going to come in here, and their ask is probably going to be a whole lot more than ours, because everybody around us is fully paid.”
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