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County to Change Fire-Protection Funding

All property owners pay some portion of the cost for fire protection, and some might consider that more fair.

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(TNS) - Alachua County leaders moved ahead Thursday with a plan that will likely change the way fire protection is paid for in the incorporated and unincorporated parts of the county, not including Gainesville.

But knowing how the fire assessment will affect taxpayers is impossible to grasp right now, because the actual assessment hasn't yet been set.

County commissioners voted 3-2 Thursday to move ahead with developing a fire assessment fee rate during the county's budgeting process in June and July, so that property owners can be informed about the assessment in property tax notices that are mailed in August.

Commissioners Mike Byerly and Charles Chestnut voted against the assessment.

Commissioners discussed the issue during a 3½-hour meeting in which Byerly said the assessment will shift the burden of paying for fire services from the rich to the poor.

"Under the assessment, the rich will pay less and the poor will pay more," Byerly said.

Fire services are provided to everyone and everyone should help pay for them, Commissioner Lee Pinkoson countered.

The fire assessment would replace the current Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) fees that many in the county now pay.

County commissioners have spent much of this month meeting with leaders of some of the county's smaller towns, including Archer, Waldo, Hawthorne and Alachua to outline in general terms how the assessment would work.

According to the presentations made in those towns, some of the fire assessment advantages would include:

* About 30 percent of the rate would be the same for all parcels, and 70 percent would be based on property value.

* All property owners pay some portion of the cost for fire protection, and some might consider that more fair.

* It can cover more of the cost of services than the current MSTU rate, meaning that other smaller tax funds could be diverted to other services in unincorporated areas.

The disadvantages, according to the county's presentation, would include:

* Taxpayers might be confused.

* Some might see it as regressive, meaning it would hit the poor hardest.

* It doesn't consider occupant or homestead status.

Commissioners voted unanimously to create a hardship fund for poor property owners, but did not decide how much money to put into the fund.

Erick van Malssen, a managing consultant with Stantec consulting firm that is guiding the county in its fire assessment plan, said his company estimated the needs of Alachua County fire services to be more than $13 million annually, and that those costs will continue to go up due to firefighter raises, higher health insurance rates, construction of new fire stations and other factors.

"Your costs are going to increase over the next five years," van Malssen said. "This will be the most progressive fire assessment fee in the state if it is adopted."

Tommy Crosby, assistant county manager for budget and fiscal services, said adopting the assessment would be wise because it will secure funding for fire services that could be affected if a statewide ballot initiative in November 2018 passes that would increase the homestead exemption by $25,000.

The increased exemptions could cost Alachua County more than $7 million in property taxes, county officials estimate.

County Manager Lee Niblock told commissioners that securing a "funding mechanism" for fire services would eliminate the possibility of the Legislature prohibiting the commission from raising taxes in the future to pay for fire services.

"I think you are ahead of the curve with this discussion," Niblock said.

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