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Escambia County Won’t Raise Fire Fee, Property Tax Or Sales Tax To Increase Fire Services Funding
June 17, 2022
Escambia County will not raise the fire fee, sales tax or property tax in order to fund fire services this year.
Instead, they will use $5 million from an expected increase in the general fund. Escambia County is projecting about $19 million more in property tax revenue next year without a change in the tax rate due to increased property values.
“It appears to me as if the only course of action is to just absorb the expenses out of the general fund and leave MSBUs, MSTUs and ad valorem alone and just move forward,” Commissioner Steven Barry said.
The Escambia County Commission took no formal action on Thursday. Instead, they will include the $5 million five services increase in the next general fund budget, which will take effect on October 1.
Earlier this month, the commission considered raising the fire MSBU from $125 to $165 per year instead of a previously discussed sales tax increase.
Comments
10 Responses to “Escambia County Won’t Raise Fire Fee, Property Tax Or Sales Tax To Increase Fire Services Funding”
How about getting and posting here the Escambia County Fire-Rescue Division report for the last year, 2021. Let’s see how many fires they responded to. And let’s see how many EMS calls they responded too. How often does Fire-Rescue show up at an EMS call then Escambia County Emergency Medical Services Division also shows up? Maybe we just need more EMS ambulances. How often does Fire-Rescue go into the city limit? How often does the Pensacola Fire Department go out into the county? Maybe we need a single, consolidated fire department with EMS the responsibility of a robust EMS department able to respond quicker.
@Joe — every property owner pays the MSBU for fire services.
Every rental unit pays the same amount as a homeowner – $125.33. The landlords of a rental property passes the cost onto tenants as part of their monthly rent.
Evey business pays a set fee and a sliding scale cost based on square footage.
I pay $15.12 for each of quarter-acre vacant parcels. The owner of the 3+ acres of vacant land next door to me also pays the same $15.12.
@Joe
Yes and no. Yes residents pay a majority of fire funding through the MSBU. Businesses and vacant property also pays a portion of the MSBU. Everyone residents and visitors pay through the LOST. The LOST pays for capital equipment such as but not limited to fire stations, fire trucks, etc.
Is fire protection paid for in Escambia only by home owners
As they shouldn’t
Does it seem to anyone else as if we’re constantly told we MUST raise this tax or that tax, but then when they finally get the push-back and don’t raise the tax, magically they find the money somewhere else?
And though the taxes may not have been raised, anyone wanna bet the property tax assessments will go up (resulting in an increase in property taxes) over the next few years?
When I posted on a prior story I couldn’t understand why the BCC wanted to raise the fee or taxes if they knew they were getting a extra 19 million in revenue. This was the only decision they could have come up with for once they did something correct. Wait till next year the increase will happen.
Jason. that is exactly correct. Thank you for explaining it clearly. When the representatives of the people (tax payers included) cut fat from the budget and tighten the fiscal belt, then they will truly be representing the tax payer. In my opinion our great Governor has set that example. It can be done. The BCC just needs to go to work on our behalf and “get ‘er done”!!!
Rob Peter, pay Paul. Escambia County financiers will never change. When property values decrease from historic and inflated highs we will be right back to a lack of funding.
The BCC may not be increasing the millage rate, but they are INCREASING Property Taxes. Otherwise the BCC would need to “roll-back” or reduce the current millage rate so they didnt collect more taxes from taxpayers than they did the prior fiscal year — as previously documented by NorthEscambia on 10/6/21 while describing the budget fiasco that had occurred in Century and their failure to properly advertise the tax increase.
The rolled-back rate is the tax rate that would generate the same amount of property tax revenue as approved for the prior year. Anything greater than the rolled-back rate is a tax increase.
So our County Commissioners may tell everyone they arent increasing taxes, but even they dont believe that line and neither should taxpayers.