Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
The Board of Madison County Commissioners met with members of the local volunteer fire departments and concerned citizens on Wednesday, July 5, for the purpose of discussing the upcoming fire assessment. Jeff Rackley, from Government Services Group was on hand to present a report based on a study conducted on behalf of the County. The purpose of the study was to help determine the amount to be assessed for fire services for fiscal years (FY) 2017-18 through 2021-22.
The County's fire assessment is the charge assessed to property owners for fire services and fire protection. The amount of each property owners assessment is derived based on the “fair and equitable” division of the County's fire costs. This apportionment is based on the number of calls made by the fire department, the costs of those calls, and the number of residential and non-residential properties.
Currently, the fire assessment is $25 per dwelling unit for residential properties. Non-residential properties are assessed based on square footage. Non-residential commercial and institutional (churches, schools, etc.) properties are assessed at $0.02 per square foot with a 97,000 square foot cap. Industrial and warehouse properties are assessed at $0.04 per square foot with a 97,000 square foot cap. Land property parcels of less than 160 acres are assessed at $10.47 per parcel with an additional assessment of $0.07 per acre for each acre over 160. This current assessment has funded the County's total fire cost of approximately $346,000.
There are several issues facing the County Commissioners when determining the new fire assessment. One being the fact that the Florida legislature has determined that agricultural properties must be exempt from the fire assessment. Because of this, the assessment would have to be raised by $11 for each dwelling unit in the County, just to maintain the current level of fire protection. During a meeting which took place on Thursday, April 20, the Commissioners heard from local firefighters with suggestions for improving fire services for the county. One suggestion was to have a paid “Fire Coordinator” who would coordinate many of the administrative duties of the various volunteer fire departments. This Fire Coordinator would also seek recruitment of new volunteer fire-fighters. The number of people willing to serve as volunteer fire-fighters has dropped dramatically over the past several years. A vast majority of the nation's fire-fighters are volunteers. “The volunteers are the back-bone of fire protection, and we're getting old,” said George Blevins of the Sirmans Volunteer Fire Department (VFD). The proposed FY 2017-18 budget contains funding for the Fire Coordinator position. Another issue facing the Commissioners was training for the volunteer fire-fighters. One reason for the decline in the number of volunteer fire-fighters is the training required to be a volunteer fire-fighter. The proposed FY 2017-18 fire budget contains an extra $30,000 for training. Aging equipment was another concern raised by the VFDs. The FY 2017-18 budget calls for $50,000 for equipment replacement. There is also an additional $20,000 to be paid to the City of Madison for fire calls in the county by the city fire department.
The proposed fire budget for FY 2017-18 is $562,306. The cost apportionment is as follows: residential properties 78.9 percent, or $443,654; commercial properties 9.17 percent, or $51,588; industrial/warehouse 5.5 percent, or $30,953; institutional 6.42 percent, or $36,111. In the past, church sanctuaries have been exempt from the fire assessment. The Commissioners will decide on whether to keep that exemption in place. The proposed assessment rate for FY 2017-18 is $69 per dwelling unit for residential properties, $0.04 per square foot with a 97,000 square foot cap for commercial properties, $0.03 per square foot with a 97,000 square foot cap for industrial and warehouse properties, and $0.05 per square foot with a 97,000 square foot cap for institutional properties.
Even with the proposed $69 rate for Madison County, the residential assessment would still be lower than many counties in north Florida. Neighboring Jefferson County has a residential assessment of $101, Wakulla County's residential assessment is $75, Franklin County's residential assessment is $95, and Leon County has a residential assessment of $181. Commissioner Rick Davis reiterated a statement he made during the meeting on April 20. “People just have to decide on just what kind of fire protection they want,” said Davis.
The next scheduled meeting of the County Commissioners will be on Wednesday, July 26, at 6 p.m. The meeting will take place in the courthouse annex, located at 229 SW Pinckney St., in Madison.