While I "sort" of understand the issue at hand, that this is merely a decision to increase the maximum fire protection assessment from $125 to $360, it doesn't indicate that we in Sumter County will see this increase anytime soon. Yeah, right! If it is increased for future operations then you can bet the future will be here before you know it. The largest population in Sumter is here in The Villages. What are the assessment rates in Lake and Marion, which also is part of The Villages? How long has the maximum $125 been in effect from what it was before. Are the yearly calls for service by fire and EMS at such an increasing rate that it requires the fire assessment to be raised more than 200%? Look, folks, I want a good safety force too, but we are not New York City, where calls for service are a constant. We don't have the monstrous office buildings, and very few high rises in our county to address should there be a fire. We are mostly retired, older people on fixed incomes and many will not be in a position to afford these increases as they come about. I hope some of you that plan to attend the meeting will ask about the calls for service - what is the increase in CFS over the last five years in Sumter County. What is the assessment in Lake and Marion, and require them to qualify the need for the increase. We will be back in Ohio by the time the meeting takes place, or else we would have been there to ask a few of these questions ourselves.
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