BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
When most Bradford County commissioners were not ready to move forward with any new fee to fund fire protection this year, that sent everything back to the drawing board.
Almost.
There is a statutory process that must be followed to implement a special assessment, but the county may move forward with the same consultant report, barring any major changes in method of assessing properties and collecting the revenue.
Based on the fire department budget, the number of calls for service and how those calls are distributed over various property classes, the current report places the cost for achieving 100% funding at more than $300 per residential dwelling unit.
Commissioners balked at asking that much, but also couldn’t agree on management’s proposed reduction to $167 a year, or anything less than that. Instead, they opted for more time, more discussion and potentially more options. The intent is more education for everyone and inclusion of more voices in the discussion.
Contrary to the understanding of some that there was no intent to place the fire assessment on this year’s tax bill, the resolution approved by the board in February did state that goal. It is the same resolution the commission will need to approve by the end of this year or (with the approval of the tax collector and property appraiser) the beginning of next year. It will communicate the commission’s intention to proceed with the collection of a fire assessment in 2025.
The commission narrowly passed an ordinance in July establishing the method of collecting an annual assessment via property tax bills. The final step, which would need to take place prior to September 2025, will be the resolution establishing the amount of the fees for each property class.
According to the consultant, workshops are anticipated to begin in middle or late November this year, but the clerk’s office has urged commissioners to begin sooner rather than later. Questions have been raised by the public and commissioners about the apportionment of the fees as well as if there are other viable methods that would link the value of the property to how much its owner pays. There are questions about what the fee pays for, and whether the commission should also be looking at budget cuts for the department, which would reduce the amount of any assessment but also impact level of service.
It seems likely that changes to the cost distribution or collection methodology will result in additional work for the consultant as well as additional cost for the county.
And when it comes time for the county commission to vote again on implementing the fee, the county’s municipalities will also need to decide on participation. Lawtey, Brooker and Hampton all approved all voted for participation on the first reading of their ordinances, but they were never finalized after the county delayed implementation.
Starke never voted at all, or even publicly discussed participation. Starke commissioners’ last discussion with the county on fire protection ended with the rejection of a county proposal to absorb Starke Fire Rescue into the county’s department. At that time, it was the city commission that was being asked to directly fund the cost of doing so.
According to the consultant, the county will continue to encourage participation from all municipalities, and as for consolidation, the county has never taken that possibility off the table.
In the end, the biggest obstacle will remain the commissioners themselves, who have repeatedly expressed the importance of the service and the need for the revenue, but never finalized its collection.
