BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Bradford Commission Chairman Danny Riddick made it clear he would vote in favor of the proposed fire assessment being added to tax bills this year. He announced at a meeting last week that he’s not backing down.
Riddick has been ready to vote since last year when other commissioners put off the decision for more time to answer questions and educate themselves and the public.
Other commissioners, while supportive of raising the additional revenue for their fire departments, are open to additional information.
Commissioner Chris Dougherty, for example, is using his involvement with statewide agencies to learn more about how counties like Bradford would be impacted or protected if the state abolishes local property taxes as a primary revenue source.
“I really want to see what that looks like, what the plan is to backfill the fiscally constrained counties. I’m really interested to see what their take is with regards to public safety in general,” said Dougherty, who chairs the Small County Coalition. “I just want to make sure that the decision I make is going to be the right decision for not only the county but for the citizens as well.”
Commissioner Diane Andrews said she supports having a fire assessment but also believes in everyone having an opportunity to speak.
“If there’s something dramatically wrong with what we’re doing, of course we’re going to listen. But as of right now, we have worked on this, and we have begged the public to come in and be a part of this,” she said. Some did share questions and concerns, leading to clarification about what buildings would be assessed a fire fee and exemptions for disabled veterans and those living below the poverty line. A great deal of effort went into educating the public, she said, including workshops streamed online and Fire Chief Ben Carter speaking with local civic organizations and answering questions about the cost of running fire rescue.
“Some people say we only need two stations, and that’s incredibly wrong because we could not handle his daily operations with just two units,” she said. “What they do is huge for this county.”
Andrews said with a fire assessment in place, the commission would hopefully be able to lower property taxes in the future.
The public hearing before the final vote was rescheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 6:30 p.m. at the Gov. Charley E. Johns Conference Center, 1610 N. Temple Ave. in Starke.
Note: Commissioner Kenny Thompson could not be reached due to illness, and a message was left for Commissioner Carolyn Spooner seeking comment.
