MERRIMAC — A question on this year's ballot will ask voters to consider a tax hike of $50,000 to help fund the stipends for on-call firefighters/EMTs for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

This Proposition 21/2 override would increase taxes by $25 per year (at the current tax rate) for the average home valued at $392,000, Treasurer and Finance Director Carol McLeod said.

Deputy Larry Fisher said that the on-call firefighters/EMTs had asked the Board of Fire Engineers (Fisher, Greg Habgood and Chief Ralph Spencer) for a pay increase. The board then asked the Finance Committee for an additional amount of $75,000 (beyond the automatic cost-of-living increase). Fisher said the Finance Committee determined that the town could afford only $25,000, and the balance of $50,000 is "where the override comes from."

The Fire Department has three full-time employees, but Fisher said "three people can't do the job. That's where the on-call people come in." He said they "get a normal stipend at the end of each year based on the number of calls they respond to."

The rates are determined at the close of the year by dividing the available funds by the number of calls. Current rates are $17 for a fire call and roughly $13 for an EMT call. EMTs receive less than firefighters because there are more EMT calls but less money allocated to pay them.

The average call takes 11/2 hours, but Fisher recalled the "extreme" case of being paid $17 for the 16 hours he worked at this year's fire on New Year's Day. Fisher said, "You do it because you want to help people. They're not there for the money." But he added that responding to a call means that "they leave their jobs where they get significantly more money. They have to pay their bills, too."

If the override passes, the stipends would increase to $25 per call. If voters reject the override, there would be no increase, but the earmarked $25,000 would equalize the EMT and firefighter stipends.