I am pleased to report that the two-year budget that Governor Mark Warner presented to the General Assembly on December 17, 2003, contains $1.3 million in 2005 to reimburse localities for a portion of the matching funds needed to participate in the SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Firefighters and Emergency Response) grant program.

            The Governor’s decision to fund this program is an important victory for the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters, and for the people we are sworn to protect.  We had made this item in the budget a top priority for the effective implementation of the SAFER program, which will help localities hire additional fire fighters.  The Governor’s budget also increases the appropriation for the Fire Programs Fund to reflect increased revenue into the fund.  This too will strengthen fire protection programs in the Commonwealth.

            As we approach the 2004 session of the General Assembly, Virginia’s professional fire fighters must not take these funding victories for granted!

            The Governor’s initiatives on proper staffing for fire fighters are part of a broader tax and budget reform package that will be the centerpiece of this winter’s General Assembly Session.  The Governor has proposed a tax reform plan that promotes tax fairness for working families, keeps the budget balanced, and funds important initiatives like education and matching money for the SAFER grant program.  Because the Governor’s tax and budget plan provides $1 billion in additional revenues, the severe financial pressures we’ve seen on local governments – and their public safety programs – will be reduced.

            Further, the Governor’s tax fairness plan provides real benefits for working families like those in the VPFF.  Fully 65 percent of Virginia’s families will pay lower state taxes under the Governor’s plan.  These savings come about through lower income taxes and the repeal of the sales tax on food.  It is a fair, balanced program that deserves our support.

            To make sure that the Governor’s plan becomes law, we need to work actively to support it.  You can help by calling and writing your representative in the General Assembly and telling them you support Governor Warner’s budget and tax reform plan.  Fire fighters can also help by attending legislative “town hall” meetings and public hearings and making sure they speak up for the Governor’s plan.

            If the plan fails, Virginia will face chronic under-funding of public services for the foreseeable future, and we’ll continue to labor under an unfair and out-of-date tax system.  Please join me in supporting the Governor’s budget and tax reform plan.

R. Michael Mohler

President VPFF

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