As part of his continued efforts to secure state funding for public services in District 29, Senator Jack Bailey has sent a letter to Governor Hogan requesting a state grant of approximately $200,000 for the Mechanicsville Volunteer Rescue Squad.
Representatives from the Rescue Squad contacted Senator Bailey earlier this year to discuss consideration for state funding in light of their work serving the residents of the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home. In 2018, around 8% of the Rescue Squad’s call volume was dedicated to the Veterans Home, which is a state-run facility and serves veterans from all across Maryland. State funding would help ensure that the Rescue Squad has the resources necessary to respond to the needs of all of the residents in Mechanicsville and its vicinity, including the Veterans Home. The Rescue Squad receives its funding from county property tax revenues; however, as noted in the letter, the State of Maryland does not pay property tax to St. Mary’s County for the Veterans Home.
Senator Bailey has worked with the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs on this issue, and after discussions with Secretary of Veterans Affairs George Owings and other members of the Hogan Administration, it was agreed that the best way forward would be to request this grant funding from the state to help offset the costs incurred by the Rescue Squad that are associated with serving the Veterans Home.
“Charlotte Hall Veterans Home is the only of its kind in Maryland, where Veterans are able to age in place while receiving the best care,” Senator Bailey wrote in the letter to Governor Hogan, adding “as we are still in the Year of the Veteran, as proclaimed by you, I am hopeful we can continue with the support you have shown our veterans.”