Support Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company

Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company recently asked city officials to increase building fees by one-half of 1 percent to establish a funding stream for the fire department.

Company spokesman Warren Jones said the company just doesn't have the staff for a fundraising drive to pay for repairing the Rehoboth Avenue building or for replacing aging equipment.

Jones estimated the proposed surcharge would raise $100,000 a year, more than triple the $30,000 grant the city annually provides.

A surcharge on building fees is a good place to start to fund the city's volunteer service, which responded to over 100 fire calls in January and February alone, plus nearly 1,000 ambulance calls since Jan. 1. The charge would be hardly noticeable for much of the new construction going up in Rehoboth, but it would offer a critical source of reliable revenue for the fire company.

In addition to the proposed surcharge, Rehoboth residents should respond to the obvious needs of their fire company and open their checkbooks – or, even easier, go online and make a donation.

Beyond the proposed surcharge and donations, it is time for the state to recognize that Rehoboth's fire company serves far more than the residents of Rehoboth.

With summer on the way, the population of Rehoboth is about to rise. What about a one-half of 1 percent increase in the 8 percent state tax charged by hotels and motels? That small increase would allow the visitors who dramatically increase the need for fire and ambulance services in Rehoboth to help pay for these essential services.

The additional tax could be assessed on hotels and motels in all coastal towns with volunteer fire companies, offering a much-needed boost to their budgets.

While we are at it, it's time the state return a small slice of the hotel and motel tax to Rehoboth, the heart of tourism in Southern Delaware, to offset the high cost of city services visitors require.

The entire state benefits from tourism centered in Rehoboth Beach. State legislators should recognize this contribution by returning part of this tax to the city.