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Escambia County Approves Fire Tax Increase
September 14, 2011
The Escambia County Commission gave final approval Tuesday night to higher fire fees. Without the increase, North Escambia fire stations might have lost all paid firefighters that currently staff three stations during the weekdays.
The commission vote was 3-2, with commissioners Kevin White and Wilson Robertson voting against the increase.
The Municipal Services Benefit Unit will increase on property tax bills by $5 per year for the next two years for county residents outside Pensacola and Santa Rosa Island. That will increase the current $75 fee to $80 for 2011 tax assessments and $85 for 2012. The commercial fee will rise from $.034 per square foot to $.037 per square foot, with a minimum of $80 for 2011 and up to $.040 per square foot with a minimum of $85 for 2012.
In 2009, the county hired 12 paid firefighters under a federal SAFER –Staffing Adequate Fire and Emergency Response- grant. The grant provided funding that decreases each year to fund the firefighter positions — $441,990 the first year, $385,413 the second, $245,701 the third and $150,369 for the fourth year. In the final year, 2014, Escambia County must fully fund $631,503 for the dozen firefighters.
The fee increase — an estimated $1.34 million over two years — will be used to replace the SAFER funds and maintain the current level of fire services.
According to a presentation to the commission in June by Escambia Fire Chief Daniel Spillman, a failure to adopt the fire fee increase would lead to the elimination of paid weekday firefighters that staff four stations — Century, Molino, Cantonment and Myrtle Grove. If that happened, North Escambia’s fire stations would have relied solely upon volunteers with no paid firefighters.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Comments
8 Responses to “Escambia County Approves Fire Tax Increase”
To What,
Don’t forget its not just Salary’s. Also Insurance, workers comp etc., etc, etc!!
you can not tell me that it cost the county 631,503 dollars to pay 12 firefighters for one year. The county does not pay thier firefighters 50,000 a year . Sounds to me the county is putting the money some where else
To Oversight,
The reason Pensacola Beach is not included in the increase is because they already pay over $200 a year for Fire Protection. If I am not mistaken, the fully pay for the fire department out there. Also, I took a little time to research this whole fire tax deal. None of this is absolute facts, but the best i could do with what is available on the internet. I found that there is approx. 1500 houses in “Century”, at $75 per house that is roughly $112,500 (This obviously does not include any Businesses). Now, I have no clue as to how much it cost per year to operate the Century Fire Station but I would venture to say that the fire tax collected on residential houses would not even cover the 4 daytime paid firefighters up there. Furthermore, I would even wonder if the tax collected would even cover the normal operating cost and volunteers up there. So, who do you think is picking up the rest of the tab for what the Century Fire District does not cover? You guessed it, the ones in the south end with the greater population density! Again, none of this is absolute fact, However some is what I found on the internet and some is just good old common sense!
The increase is will ensure the all the “weekday” staffed station will keep their staffing. I know there is some animosity toward a 24/7 paid crew being at Ensley fire dept., but they are in a centrally located station to the northern areas of the county and they do FREQUENTLY respond to neighboring districts depending on the emergency.
Without the increase, the 24/7 paid staff will still be there. although the daytime crew will have to cut back.
I understand that everyone is under economic pressure at this moment, but seriously $5 a year increase for the next two years?!?! A $10 dollar increase TOTAL two years from now! I don’t know ANYONE who can’t afford a $10 increase, especially spread out over a years time. That is an increase of .03 per day. 3 PENNIES A DAY.
I know that many people have seen the career and volunteer firefighters bicker back and forth but the fact is we NEED both.
Our safety as a county depends on it.
Oversight:
I believe that Pensacola Beach pays into a different fund called MSTU. I believe it covers both law enforcement and fire. If I am not mistaken, the MSTU is a higher millage rate than what the rest of the county pays into the MSBU.
“…a failure to adopt the fire fee increase would lead to the elimination of paid weekday firefighters that staff four stations — Century, Molino, Cantonment and Myrtle Grove.”
Say what??? There have been paid firefighters in North Escambia long before this grant came into being. This sounds more like political rhetoric and fear mongering by Chief Spillman in order to get his money. Notice that it is District Five which would face the brunt of the “lay-offs” when after all the newly hired firefighters went to the south end of the county. Again I say let the area that receives the new benefit pay for it. One last thing, does not the new increase apply to Pensacola Beach, and why not?
To “always readin’
The Cantonment chief was requesting 24/7 paid firefighters for his station. The article above mentions “weekday” paid firefighters in Cantonment. Cantonment currently has a 7am-4pm paid crew Monday-Friday.
Just wondering if it’s my misunderstanding; but less than 2 weeks ago there were articles stating that “there were no paid firefighters to cover the Cantonment station” but the Fire Chief was trying to get the BOCC to “approve” some, due to lack of coverage during the day. This station has to depend more heavily on Ensley & Molino to cover when there are no volunteers to staff it.
Question is, how were paid firefighters shown to be at Cantonment? I know that Molino definitely has them. So does Osceola. The entire articles were written about trying to get “some paid firefighters” so that the Cantonment station is covered. But they were turned down…..
Political Posturing at its best. Ole KW and WR knew they this would pass, but since it is election season they are taking the “no new taxes” stance. Bet in 2 years when it is time to raise a fee to benefit the south side they both vote “yes” so that Grover and Geno can vote no and take a “no new taxes” stance. What a farce.
They call me Bubba and even I can see through this….