In my last article, I talked about background checks and some of the questions I asked at a recent Trego-Fortine-Stryker meeting.
But before going further, there is something else our community needs to understand:
What exactly is the Trego-Fortine-Stryker Fire Service Area, where does its money come from, and who is responsible for that money?
I learned something important at the meeting myself.
When I referred to my tax dollars helping support fire departments, I was corrected.
I was told that the money supporting this particular Fire Service Area is not simply a countywide property tax.
It is a fee for service charged to property owners within the Fire Service Area.
That distinction matters.
But it doesn’t make the money any less important to the people paying it.
First: What Is an FSA?
FSA stands for Fire Service Area.
Montana law allows county commissioners to create a Fire Service Area in an unincorporated part of a county that is not already part of a rural fire district.
The purpose is pretty simple:
People need fire protection even when they don’t live inside a city.
The Fire Service Area provides a legal way to organize and pay for that protection.
Montana law allows an FSA to provide fire equipment, firefighters, facilities and maintenance.
Or an FSA can contract with a fire service agency to provide those services.
That second part is important in Trego, Fortine and Stryker.
The FSA and the Volunteer Fire Department Are Not the Same Thing
This can get confusing very quickly.
There is the Trego/Fortine/Stryker Fire Service Area.
Then there is the Trego-Fortine-Stryker Volunteer Fire Department.
They work together, but they are not simply two names for exactly the same organization.
Lincoln County’s own explanation of the system says the FSA oversees the fire service and contracts with the volunteer fire department to provide fire protection.
Think about it this way:
The FSA helps manage the public money and makes sure fire protection is provided.
The volunteer fire department provides the firefighters and actual emergency response.
That separation matters because it helps us understand who controls the money and who is responsible for accounting for how that money is spent.
Where Does the Money Come From?
A large part of the money comes directly from the people who own property inside the Fire Service Area.
Montana law allows the Lincoln County Commissioners to establish a schedule of fees for properties receiving fire protection.
Those fees are collected as a special assessment along with county property taxes.
So when you see the charge on your property-tax bill, the county is collecting it.
But the money is being collected specifically to support the Fire Service Area.
It isn’t simply money dropped into one giant county pot with no connection to TFS.
It is money collected for this service.
How Much Have Residents Paid?
The amounts have changed over the years.
Lincoln County records show that in 2021 the Trego-Fortine-Stryker Fire Service Area generated about $39,916 from its fee schedule.
At that time, a regular home was generally charged $50 per year.
In 2022, the FSA asked the Lincoln County Commissioners to approve a 100% increase in its fee schedule.
The proposed residential fee went from:
$50 per year to $100 per year.
Commercial fees were also proposed to double.
The FSA told the public that the existing fees were generating approximately $45,000 per year and that the increased fees were expected to generate approximately $90,000 per year.
Those are not insignificant amounts of money for a small rural community.
And they come from you.
What Is That Money Supposed to Pay For?
The money isn’t simply supposed to be handed over without a purpose.
Montana law says fees charged on structures are intended primarily for structural fire prevention and suppression.
Fire Service Area money can support things such as:
$45,000 for operations of the TFS Volunteer Fire Department.
firefighting operations, equipment, maintenance, facilities, protective equipment, training and other costs needed to provide fire protection.
Lincoln County’s own 2022 presentation gives us a very useful example.
At that time, TFS reported an annual operating budget of approximately $97,000.
The presentation divided that money roughly like this:
$6,000 for operation of the Fire Service Area itself.
$28,000 for capital improvements.
$18,000 for equipment, maintenance and emergency reserves.
The FSA said rising costs included insurance, training, equipment, fuel, protective gear, breathing equipment, tires, hoses and maintenance.
Those are all understandable expenses for operating a fire service.
This Is Where Financial Stewardship Comes In
There is a word we sometimes use that sounds complicated:
Stewardship.
It really isn’t complicated.
If somebody gives you money for a specific purpose, you have a responsibility to take care of it and be able to explain what happened to it.
There is the Fire Service Area.
It exists for one purpose:
That is stewardship.
The property owners aren’t personally managing the fire department’s checkbook.
But they are helping finance the system.
The people appointed or elected to oversee the Fire Service Area are therefore stewards of money collected from their neighbors.
And the volunteer fire department, when it receives money through its contract with the FSA, has responsibilities connected to that money as well.
That means records matter.
Receipts matter.
Budgets matter.
Contracts matter.
Equipment inventories matter.
Approvals matter.
And being able to explain where money went matters.
The FSA Board Has a Job
Montana law allows county commissioners to govern a Fire Service Area themselves or place its management in the hands of five trustees.
Lincoln County currently lists five trustees for the Trego/Fortine/Stryker FSA.
Those trustees aren’t simply honorary board members.
They are part of the system responsible for governing and managing the affairs of the Fire Service Area.
Montana law also requires trustees to prepare annual budgets and request the schedule of rates needed to support that budget.
Think about what that means.
The board determines what the fire service needs.
A budget is prepared.
Fees are collected from property owners.
Money is then spent to provide fire protection.
There should be a clear paper trail connecting those steps.
The Community Has a Role Too
This is where I think we sometimes forget our own place in the system.
We aren’t just people who call 911.
We are the people helping finance this service.
Our homes and businesses are assessed fees because having a functioning fire department protects our lives and property.
That gives us both a responsibility and a reason to pay attention.
It is perfectly reasonable for residents to ask:
What is the annual budget?
How much money is collected?
How much goes to the volunteer fire department?
What does the contract require?
What equipment does the FSA own?
What equipment belongs to the volunteer department?
Who approves major purchases?
Who can dispose of equipment?
Are receipts required?
Who reviews the financial records?
Are there two signatures required for checks?
How much money is kept in reserve?
Are grants being received in addition to the property assessments?
And when equipment purchased with community-supported money is sold, transferred, donated or otherwise disposed of, who has the authority to make that decision?
Those aren’t hostile questions.
They are basic financial questions.
Accountability Protects the Fire Department Too
Good financial controls don’t exist because everyone is assumed to be dishonest.
They exist because nobody should have to rely solely on trust.
Receipts protect the person spending the money.
Minutes protect the board.
Inventories protect equipment.
Written approvals protect officers.
Budgets protect taxpayers and fee payers.
And transparent records protect the reputation of the fire department itself.
When everything is documented, nobody has to say:
“Just trust us.”
The paperwork can answer the question.
This Matters Going Forward
As I continue looking into Trego-Fortine-Stryker, I am beginning to understand that there are several different layers to this story.
There is its board.
There is the volunteer fire department.
There is the fire department’s leadership.
There are the property owners who finance the system.
And there are Lincoln County Commissioners, who have responsibilities under Montana law concerning the creation, financing and operation of Fire Service Areas.
Understanding who is responsible for what is coming.
That is why I am starting with the structure.
I want to know where the authority begins.
I want to know where the money goes.
I want to know who is responsible for documenting it.
And I want to know what safeguards exist when something doesn’t add up.
Because the money supporting our fire protection doesn’t belong to one chief.
It doesn’t belong to one board member.
It doesn’t belong to one firefighter.
Protecting this community.
The people entrusted with managing those resources are stewards of something their neighbors have paid for.
And good stewardship should always be something we can see.
© Amberli Emery
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