From the Evening Sun: The Abbottstown (Pa.) Borough Council now has the latest facts about a potential fire tax that could be added to each resident's municipal tax as early as next year.

United Hook and Ladder will have a $1.2 million budget for 2011, and needs to have about $250,000 in municipal funding for that budget to balance.

The biggest problem is the need for fundraising by volunteers, the same volunteers who already put in many dozens of hours training in order to be firefighters. The fire company does a mailing for donations, but never receives enough funding in that capacity.

Each of the eight municipalities served by United will be asked to provide funding through a formula which takes into consideration the population, the market value of all real estate per municipality, and the percentage of the coverage provided to each by United No. 33. Read the entire article here.