Milford considers tax credit for first responders

Milford Councilman Joe Dooley on May 18 suggested that the borough look into adopting an Earned Income Tax (EIT) ordinance that will give a tax credit to the borough’s volunteer first responders.

The borough council will further discuss the matter at a special meeting on June 9.

Dooley said he wants to consider exempting volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel up to $1,000, or some other number the council agrees on.

“We’re suffering a dearth of volunteers in the fire department and EMS services right now,” Dooley said. “Maybe it’ll spur somebody to join our fire department. We can also on property tax exempt up to 20 percent for EMS and fire volunteers.”

Some of the early questions include how much a volunteer would have to work to be eligible for the EIT. Dooley said they should have to respond to a minimum number of calls before being eligible for an exemption.

“If somebody responds to one call over the course of a year, I don’t plan on giving that person an exemption,” Dooley said. “It’s got to be some kind of number that we agree upon.”

Council President Frank Tarquinio said some localities determine the exemption by the number of hours they volunteer, not necessarily the number of calls responded to. The fire chief or the head of the ambulance corps would keep track of that, he said.

“If somebody’s serving 40 hours and there’s no calls, they still get it,” Tarquinio said.

Dooley said he would like to see the ordinance in place by Oct. 1 so that the borough can see 100 percent tax collected in 2022 while offering retired fixed income residents a 10 percent reduction in borough property taxes.

According to its website, milfordfire33.com, “The Milford Fire Department & EMS Station is one the the busiest of the 16 departments in Pike County. We are comprised of an all-volunteer membership that runs 24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 days a year.”