Debby Mayer is reporting in The Columbia Paper the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Germantown Fire District will hold a public hearing tonight, Tue., Oct. 18, on the district’s preliminary 2017 budget. The hearing will take place at 7 p.m. in the firehouse, located at 181 Main Street. The spending plan totals nearly $338,000. Estimated revenues are $1,000, making the approximate amount to be raised by property taxes $337,000, a 15 percent increase over last year. The largest increase in the 2017 budget is the result of a needed roof replacement over the truck bays. The preliminary budget does not contain allocations for new equipment, which a district committee has been researching for more than a year. That committee’s findings and recommendations will be reported in a public meeting, Mon., Oct. 24, at the firehouse. The committee is chaired by Roy Brown, which has created a 15-year purchase and repair plan. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.