Quote:
Originally Posted by twoplanekid
As I know some of the people on the Sumter BoCC personally to then trust them and don't know anyone on the yet to be created Fire District board, your thoughts lead me more and more in one direction than another. Plus cost are an important.
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You trust them in what way?
I stated:
- They might fund the SCFD through the general fund. The last I read is they have a study going to determine how to fund the SCFD. I believe they will find that a separate tax for the non-Villagers will be unacceptably high. The SCFD will need to be funded somehow and if a non-Villager tax won't do it then it will come from the general fund which means it will come from you and me.
- They might reduce the millage rate by less than the amount currently used for fire service. This is in their 2024 budget projections right now! $28M of fire service expenses have been removed but the ad valorem revenue has been reduced by only about $14M (possibly $18M but certainly not $28M). These are just projections so maybe they will be modified next June when the real numbers are available.
- They might decide to combine the VPSD and SCFD. This has already been proposed by one of the board members (I think more than one but can't find anything to back that up). When the study reveals that the cost of a separate SCFD is too high, it could easily be argued that combining the services would be more efficient. The BoCC would be taking the fiscally responsible action for all the residents of Sumter County.
Costs are important but not as important as the quality of the service. When you are kneeling next to someone who needs care and you are on the phone asking 911 how long it will take to get help to your door, an extra $10 or $100 per year will seem like a tiny price to pay for the answer to be five minutes rather than 35.