By Shannon Wright

Fire Protection District No. 2 (Sibley) voters will have a tax renewal on their ballots in the March 29 parish-wide election.

This encompasses the rural areas of Sibley, and they are the ones who will see this on their ballots.

“We need to keep our fire ratings down,” said Fire District No. 2 President, Harold Holley. “If this is not voted in again then the people’s insurance will immediately go up.”

Every part of Louisiana has a fire rating which is based on how safe an area is – how close emergency services are and access to equipment and personnel.

Fire ratings are based on a scale of 1-10. The higher the number, the worse the rating.

Manpower is the most significant factor to the rating in a rural area because they depend on volunteers. How many volunteers respond to each call and how quickly they respond are factored into the rating.

As of now the fire rating for this area is 5. If the tax is not renewed, that rating will go up which will substantially increase the insurance premiums for every citizen within the area.

Money received from the tax is used to pay the Sibley Volunteer Fire Department to service these areas.

The deadline for a registrar of voters to receive a voted absentee ballot is 4:30 p.m. March 28. Request an absentee ballot online through the Voter Portal or in writing through the Registrar of Voters Office.

On election day, March 29, the polls are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

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