[Goldwingnut]

Originally Posted by Romad

1. The cost will be established by unelected people, not necessarily from TV.
2. The actual cost per homeowner won’t be known until June 2023.
3. The assessment will be based on actual home values instead of assessed value. Who determines them?

While Mr. Wiley’s response is long, he failed to address why so many were concerned about the cost last Thursday. If he was there, why didn’t he speak up?

If you thought the 25% tax increase over the roads was bad, you haven’t seen anything yet.

I think more of us would be interested in the cost for one fire department in Sumter county instead of two.

1. The costs are determined by the accounting and budget departments of Sumter County and the district office. These are not elected individuals but paid professionals on the staff of both, who have been doing this for years for every budget. IF your comment about "not necessarily from TV" is referring to the elected officials that will make up the IFD board, you are mistaken, the governor will appoint the initial board (through the appointment process in place by the state), these board members will have to meet all the eligibility requirements as they would to run for the office including where they live, just as I had to to be considered for appointment as County Commissioner in District 5.

2. Correct, those numbers will take some time to determine, district staff is working on the VPSD IFD costs but can't determine the final millage rate until June 30, 2023 when property value determinations are completed and certified by the County Property Appraiser. The reduction in the ad valorum millage rate on your tax bill will not be determined until then for the same reason and because the SCFD operating costs have to be determined. A lot of the SCFD costs have to be calculated because many costs are not necessarily determined by department but as a part of the overall county budget, things like vehicle servicing, IT support, and staff support costs. Also not known is the actual number of homes that will be taxed next year, more are added every day.

3. The values are determined by the Sumter County Property Appraiser, Mr. Joey Hooten (and staff), who is an elected official of Sumter County.

The cost of combining both fire departments into one would be significant, but not so much in dollars but in service. All residents would receive the same services and as such many of the additional services provided by VPSD would have to be eliminated, or if added to SCFD services all residents of Sumter County would feel the increased cost. Also, these two fire departments have significantly different operating models VPSD is geared for an older urban community and SCFD is more responsive to a younger more rural population.

Yes, I was there, I was in the audience the same as all the rest. That was the time for the District 2 and 4 candidates to speak, it was not an open forum.