SUGARCREEK, Pa. (EYT) — Sugarcreek Borough Council voted unanimously to provide a tax relief to volunteer firefighters who volunteer for both Reno Volunteer Fire Department and Rocky Grove Volunteer Fire Department.

The Volunteer Service Credit Program will give a 20 percent property tax rebate on the borough’s portion of the taxes to volunteer firefighters that live in the borough.

The program will begin in 2018, which would allow volunteers to apply for the credit in 2019.

Prior to the vote, Reno Volunteer Fire Chief Mike Garbacz spoke to Council and asked them to not wait on passing an ordinance to include the Earned Income Tax (EIT) credit that would help volunteers as well.

“It’s not getting any easier for us,” Garbacz told Council.

He made mention of an ambulance service near Mercer on the verge of closing and that Perry High-Way Hose Company, from Erie, recently hired nine full-time staff members because it’s getting harder for fire departments to obtain volunteers.

At a previous meeting, solicitor Brian Spaid told Council that they should start with the property tax rebate and then add in the EIT credit later on.

As of January 20. 2017, when the program went into effect, out of 2,500 municipalities only about 65 have considered enacting it or have enacted it.

The ordinance also defines eligibility requirements for active volunteers and administrative details.

Some of the highlights of that include: a volunteer must be a Sugarcreek Borough resident and a member of either the Rocky Grove Volunteer Fire Department, the Rocky Grove Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary, or the Reno Volunteer Fire Department.

In addition, volunteers must earn “credits” which can be accumulated in a variety of ways including responding to emergency calls, training, fundraising, facility or equipment maintenance, financial bookkeeping, involvement in other events or projects that aid the financial viability, and emergency response. Total years a volunteer has served is also a factor.

It will be the responsibility of the chiefs at the departments to record the credits and give the borough a list of eligible firefighters for the previous year by January 15 of the year after the eligibility.