Homeowners often don't notice the fire district taxes on their property tax bill, but they're a burning issue on Schoelles Road in Amherst.
David Prisaznuk, like everyone else who lives on the north side of the road, is part of the North Amherst fire district. His neighbors on the south side of the street are in the Getzville fire district.
For that reason, Prisaznuk pays 4½ times what he would pay if his house were located across the street.
The extra cost this year alone: $578.
Put another way, Prisaznuk's fire district taxes account for 24 percent of his town and county property tax bill for 2018. For one neighbor across the street, it's 7 percent of the bill.