Quote:
Originally Posted by birdiebill
Here is a couple of facts for those wondering about the Fire Protection Assessment. First, the Villages Safety Division received a FEMA grant last year in October to cover the costs of the additional firemen needed in The Villages. Here is the official info:
The Villages Public Safety Department has been awarded a multi-million-dollar grant to hire new 27 firefighters.
The $6.52 million SAFER grant was awarded by FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. It provides funding for the firefighters for three years, which includes salary and benefits. And unlike in past years when similar grants were awarded, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, departments that received the SAFER grants won’t be required to provide any kind of matching funds.
Second, I wondered what the Fire Protection Assessment covered and found this from Lake County and presume our Sumter County/The Villages fee is used for similar purposes:
Question: What is Lake County's present Residential Fire Assessment Fee?
Answer: The current fee is $206 for Fire Protection. This fee is used for firefighters' salaries, as well as to buy necessary equipment and to pay for operating expenses such as fuel and health insurance. Property owners pay this flat fee once a year, no matter how many times the fire department is called to their home or property for assistance.
|
The Developer pays a fire impact fee of 0%. What a surprise that the residents have to pick up the tab for the increased fire stations and equipment necessary as a result of the Developer's massive expansion of The Villages. Yet we still have a small number of hard-core Developer-philes posting, on this website, a defense of the Developer's sweetheart deal on impact fees.