The fire district serving Wanship, Coalville, Henefer and the surrounding areas initially proposed a less than 5% tax hike for 2026.
But it took that back, after fire board chair Don Donaldson said community members called in concerns.
“I, personally, and many others were just bombarded with people calling us about this after they had such a large increase in 2022,” he told the county council Dec. 10, referencing the $330% increase that transitioned the North Summit Fire District from a volunteer model to a paid force.
At the board’s request, Fire Chief Ben Nielson then cut the $100,000 increase the district initially sought in its 2026 budget request.
Those cuts included $40,000 for vehicle maintenance; $17,000 for “minor equipment”; $5,000 for attorneys; and $36,000 that would’ve been a cushion for any unexpected expenses.
The district says it shows they are listening to the community they serve, even though it’s at risk of dipping into emergency funds.
Council Chair Tonja Hanson, a Coalville resident, indicated that taxpayers aren’t happy they’re going to need to pay off a bond voters twice rejected for a new high school.
“What's going on with the North Summit School District, I think, has really got people fired up in our community,” she said. “If you have that, and then this — this alone was troubling for folks — but then both of them combined was just not a good situation.”
Nielson has said residents are working to form a nonprofit organization, Friends of North Summit Fire, to help supplement the budget with grants or donations. A similar 501(c)3 supplies Summit County Search and Rescue volunteers with equipment, clothes and radios.
Councilmember Megan McKenna thought $100,000 was minimal in the grand scheme of things and that it broke her heart the fire district would go without. Councilmember Roger Armstrong’s remarks went further.
“I would be embarrassed to, if I were a resident of North Summit, to sit here and be reluctant to have what is a minimal property tax increase to fund services that are operating on a razor thin margin,” Armstrong said. “And to force a fire chief to go back and hope that bake sales might actually somehow provide the fire engines, the apparatus, the training and everything that's needed to support a fully functional fire service.”
The self-proclaimed son of a firefighter had noted earlier in the meeting that North Summit fire can only afford secondhand trucks.
Nielson said one is over 30 years old. Henefer’s fire station was without a truck for part of this year because of a blown seal.
Buildings themselves are 40 to 50 years old, and as Armstrong noted, the district’s contractor now says it's unable to repair the doors on one — they keep falling off.
Council Vice Chair Canice Harte expressed similar concerns, but called out the district’s board.
“I personally think it's irresponsible [that] the board to put you in this position,” he told Chief Nielson. “I get that people don't want to pay taxes. I get people in North Summit are particularly sensitive. But when you're sitting with zero fund balances — one payroll period away from being out of business — that is not how you run emergency services.”
Donaldson later pointed out the county itself raised the fees service districts pay to use the Summit County Attorney’s Office.
Because North Summit fire is one payroll away from maxing out the 2025 budget, Nielson said the district will ask for a tax increase again next year.
“We do know, though, that we are just kicking the can down the road. The lesson learned from 2022 is essentially that if you don't raise taxes for 30 years, you have a 332% increase,” he said. “So there's a balancing act there.”
Nielson added he’s excited to apply for a new grant Summit County is starting with money raised by the voter-approved emergency services sales tax. He hopes it will fund renovations at the Wanship fire stations.
Armstrong eventually made the motion to approve the 2026 North Summit fire budget, which passed unanimously Dec. 10.
Summit County is a financial supporter of KPCW.
