Sumter county board of county comissioners agenda regarding regarding fire & ems[

[Altavia]

PRESS RELEASE
Immediate Release:
September 9, 2023
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE 9/19/23 SUMTER COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMISSIONERS AGENDA
REGARDING REGARDING FIRE & EMS

Contact: Bradley Arnold
County Administrator
(352) 689-4400
bradley.arnold@sumtercountyfl.gov

Sumter County, FL -
On September 19, 2023, the Sumter County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) will be considering several items on its agenda related to Fire & EMS services in Sumter County.

The items include a modification to its ordinance authorizing the designated fire agencies to charge for the annual fire inspections of businesses and the recovery of costs associated with any hazardous material response. Sumter County Fire & EMS Department Fire Chief Rob Hanson stated, "the proposed charging of fees for these services provided by our department and that of The Villages Public Safety Department (VPSD) increases the revenue for both departments in balancing the revised expenditure plan. As both Fire & EMS departments have their Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity (COPCN) approved by the BOCC, there is no question that both departments are the current designated fire agencies referenced by the ordinance." The proposed change in the language to the generic version of fire agency(ies), "also provides the open door for the BOCC's future consideration of a dependent district for the service area provided through the agreement with the Village Center Community Development District (VCCDD) and discussed with the VCCDD Manager," commented Bradley Arnold, County Administrator. The VCCDD Manager, Kenny Blocker and County Administrator Bradley Arnold, reiterate that "this proposed ordinance does not eliminate the VPSD from its current responsibilities of service provision in its designed service area as denoted in the VCCDD contract and COPCN with the BOCC."

The County Administrator and the VCCDD Manager also have a proposed amendment to Sumter County's contract with the VCCDD that will allow the use of VCCDD's other revenues for operational expenditures of VPSD rather than the restricted use for capital expenditures of $10,000 and above.

"This amendment is a relief point for the VCCDD following the BOCC's decision on August 22, 2023 regarding the proposed change to the methodology and rates for the fire assessment," stated Bradley

Arnold, County Administrator.
The current methodology for the fire assessment has a cap of $125.00 per improved parcel per year and this annual rate is also up for consideration to increase from the current rate of $124.00 to the cap of $125.00. Chief Rob Hanson stated, "both fire departments are counting on the continuation of the fire assessment and the $1.00 increase for the revenue needed to balance the budgets starting October 1,
2023."

One of the most important items for the Sumter County Fire & EMS Department is the ratification of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Local 5313 and the BOCC to deviate from its collective bargaining agreements. If ratified, this MOU will also be on this same agenda for the BOCC's consideration. "We greatly appreciate the level of partnership we have with the Local 5313 and their participation in the development of the revised Sumter County Fire & EMS Department's budget" stated Bradley Arnold, County Administrator.

The agenda and all supporting documentation for the September 19, 2023 BOCC Meeting will be available for viewing online Friday, September 15, 2023, at 2:00 PM at Sumter County, FL - Official Website | Official Website (http://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/) agendas.

Sumter County, FL - Official Website | Official Website (http://www.sumtercountyfl.gov)

[Papa_lecki]

Not sure what really happened with the Independent Fire Commission vote (i.e. would we be in the situation if that vote passed, what were the real facts, etc).
But this is a disaster. I am sure some of this is positioning.

“Sumter County Fire Chief Rob Hanson said he would need to lay off 30 firefighters and nix plans to hire 27 more employees to overcome a $12 million hole in his $24.2-million budget. VPSD Fire Chief Brian Twiss said he would lose 57 new positions planned in his $34.5-million budget.

Last week, American Medical Response (AMR) announced it was pulling its staff and three ambulances from Sumter County due to the budget cuts. AMR, a national private company that provided ambulance service before the two fire departments took it over, will continue to lease four ambulances to Sumter County. The company had a three-year contract to aid the transition to a fully county-operated service.“

[margaretmattson]

Not sure what really happened with the vote. But this is a disaster. I am sure some of this is positioning.

“Sumter County Fire Chief Rob Hanson said he would need to lay off 30 firefighters and nix plans to hire 27 more employees to overcome a $12 million hole in his $24.2-million budget. VPSD Fire Chief Brian Twiss said he would lose 57 new positions planned in his $34.5-million budget.

Last week, American Medical Response (AMR) announced it was pulling its staff and three ambulances from Sumter County due to the budget cuts. AMR, a national private company that provided ambulance service before the two fire departments took it over, will continue to lease four ambulances to Sumter County. The company had a three-year contract to aid the transition to a fully county-operated service.“I did not read that there was a vote. I read there were some items they were considering.

As usual, one has to read and reread their statement because it is so confusing.
1. Do the businesses get charged for the annual fire inspection and hazardous waste removal? I would assume yes. It should not be a cost to homeowners
2.Increasing the assessment from $124 to $125? Not surprised since they have stated several times that they need more funds to balance the budget. $1 more? I can live with!

The rest, I can't decipher! It is written in a fashion that I can not comprehend. Maybe someone else can chime in.

[Bill14564]

It is suspicious that in the proposed ordinance, all references to SCFEMS, VCCDD, and the Villages have been removed. It just feels like the first step in eliminating the VPSD and rolling all stations and equipment under county control.

On the other hand, if VCCDD and VPSD are on board with this new language in the ordinance than I guess I should trust them.

[Stu from NYC]

What I still do not understand is why businesses located in the Villages cannot pay for this service based on the size of their building?

Sun went on and on how big a percentage increase it would be but never said anything about dollar amounts.

Seems like commissioners backed off on an increase to business.

Hoping Don will answer this.

[Bill14564]

What I still do not understand is why businesses located in the Villages cannot pay for this service based on the size of their building?

Sun went on and on how big a percentage increase it would be but never said anything about dollar amounts.

Seems like commissioners backed off on an increase to business.

Hoping Don will answer this.

The businesses will say that they are paying for the serviced based on the size of their building. Only a small portion of the fire service funding comes from the $124 assessment, the rest comes from property taxes. The larger their building the higher the value and the more taxes they pay.

One of the arguments for the proposed fee and new structure was to remove the reliance on property taxes, at least for the fire suppression part. Rather than basing the new fee on property value, the new fee would have been based on building size (with special calculations for non-building businesses like campgrounds.

While residential assessments would have increase by 160%, I don't remember seeing an equivalent number for how much commercial assessments would have increase but the percentage would have been huge.

A large number of people stood up in the meeting to oppose the new fees and structures. Some were likely associated with commercial properties but others would have been objecting to the residential increase of about $200. While it does appear that the commissioners backed off on an increase to business, it could also be argued that they backed off on an increase that seemed to displease much of their constituency. (though I certainly don't doubt that there was a lot of communication from business interests prior to the meeting as well)

[mtdjed]

Not sure what really happened with the Independent Fire Commission vote (i.e. would we be in the situation if that vote passed, what were the real facts, etc).
But this is a disaster. I am sure some of this is positioning.

“Sumter County Fire Chief Rob Hanson said he would need to lay off 30 firefighters and nix plans to hire 27 more employees to overcome a $12 million hole in his $24.2-million budget. VPSD Fire Chief Brian Twiss said he would lose 57 new positions planned in his $34.5-million budget.

Last week, American Medical Response (AMR) announced it was pulling its staff and three ambulances from Sumter County due to the budget cuts. AMR, a national private company that provided ambulance service before the two fire departments took it over, will continue to lease four ambulances to Sumter County. The company had a three-year contract to aid the transition to a fully county-operated service.“

I read the agenda of the meeting as the topic of Post # 1 (News Flash • Sumter County, FL • CivicEngage (https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1111)).

I fail to see how the above discussion relates to the meeting agenda. The agenda does not discuss manpower. It discusses Board of County Commissioners modification of Ordinance related to Sumter County Fire and EMS and the Villages Public Safety Department regarding Fees. Second it discusses a contract change with the VCCDD to allow for use of funds to support the Villages Public Safety Department without restriction to capital expenditure in excess of $10,000. Also discusses small change in the county's cap for fire assessment and a ratification in the Memorandum of Understanding of the collective bargaining agreement between the county and Local 5313.

Why confuse the agenda proposed with other issues?

[Goldwingnut]

What I still do not understand is why businesses located in the Villages cannot pay for this service based on the size of their building?

Sun went on and on how big a percentage increase it would be but never said anything about dollar amounts.

Seems like commissioners backed off on an increase to business.

Hoping Don will answer this.

Stu,
I'm not going to pass the buck on this one, that's not my way, I will take responsibility for my actions, inactions, and errors, victories however always go the whole.

Hindsight is 20/20 they say and what I see in hindsight is a failure on my part. This resolution, in my opinion, should have never come to a public vote in the form that it did. Why did it? Because I failed the residents and businesses of Sumter County when the BOCC was discussing this in July. During the workshop I asked the question of how other counties are doing the assessments and got the response that they were doing it in a similar manner. Where I failed was not to ask how our proposed rates would compare to these others and not to ask for real numbers and how these new fees were going to impact on the hundreds of businesses throughout the county. Had I asked these questions perhaps things would have been different, perhaps a different tact may have been taken, perhaps the outcome of the 8/22 meeting would have been different. Again, hindsight is 20/20.

The notion put out by many that a business pays the same as a homeowner is false, and intentionally misleading by some who know better. Those that espouse this notion I would advise caution on what their agenda may be. Yes, we all pay $124/year for the MSBU but that only covers a small portion of the true cost, the rest comes from the county ad valorem tax (based on the value of the property) that varies by property.

I'm unhappy with the vote and I'm unhappy with the fact that we painted ourselves into a corner on this issue. Unfortunately, because of the way the budgeting process works in government, the fire departments have taken the brunt of the impact. We, however, as a community will all feel the pain of the decisions that had to be made.

There are several options being surfaced about how to deal with is in the upcoming year and exploring and analyzing these will be the #1 priority of this board member. There is, however, only one option that will prevent a substantial tax increase - cutback on services. There is no "someone else" that is going to be paying the bill.

There are some digital warriors that make claims of mismanagement or worse on the part of the county, these claims are false and are made from a position of ignorance or deception. The budget has hundreds of moving parts regulated by just as many local, state, and federal laws and requirements; it is the job of the county staff and the BOCC to navigate and comply with all of these requirements while trying to provide the needed and wanted services of the community. These armchair quarterbacks should stick to second guessing the Sunday football games instead of trying to second guess the budget and the things they know little about.

We have a long year ahead of us. Communications from the County to the community and from the community to the County will be essential in resolving the budget and services changes that must happen.

What is included below is the response I sent to the Sumter Sun Times when I was asked why I voted as I did. The full article and responses by all BOCC members is available at the link below.

Commissioners share reasoning on fire fee votes | Sumter Sun Times | midfloridanewspapers.com (https://www.midfloridanewspapers.com/sumter_sun_times/commissioners-share-reasoning-on-fire-fee-votes/article_6b0ac924-4d82-11ee-be75-ef565039aba5.html)

The recent vote on the changes in the fire assessment for Sumter County by the Board of County Commissioners was, in my opinion, a failure by the Board for the residents and businesses of Sumter County. I am speaking for myself and not for the other Commissioners. I failed to adequately communicate the need for the changes, I failed to adequately explain what these changes were, and I failed to ensure that everyone understood what the real costs are to operate our combined Fire Departments.

Let me take the last failure first, what is the true costs to residents and businesses for our combined fire services here in Sumter County? Most believe that the $124 Fire Assessment on their annual property tax bill is all they pay, for most of the count taxpayers this is incorrect. This Fire Assessment only covers about 25% of the total operating cost of the fire departments, the rest comes from the general fund whose main funding is the annual ad valorem tax on individual properties. On your annual property tax bill this is the first line item and the one we are always talking about when we discuss property tax rates or millage rate cuts. Our Fire Departments and Sherriff’s Office are the two biggest items this money goes to. The Fire Departments represent about 25-30% of this budget. In my tax bill for 2022 that ad valorem tax is $1240, so $310 of it PLUS the $124 Fire Assessment went to fund our Fire Departments, or about $434 last year. Each resident and business can do the same calculations to find out what they are really paying for fire services.

There are some properties within Sumter County that only paid $124 last year, these were mostly smaller properties with low taxable values that exemptions such as homestead reduce their taxable value to $0 and these properties pay no ad valorem tax. To assume that $124 is all any resident or business is paying, however, is grossly incorrect. I failed to explain this to our residents and businesses.

Why the big change and where did the money go? Quite simply, ambulance services. Two and a half years ago the cry came out from across the county about poor ambulance service and the time it was taking to get transported. The BOCC listened, formed a committee to investigate and make recommendations, and residents came forward from all across the county, me included, expressing their opinions and desires on this critical topic. The predominant opinion was that the Fire Departments should bring transport services in house and provide them and not use a for profit company as was the current operations. Once again, the BOCC listened, sided with the residents and efforts started to provide these services starting October 1st, 2022. The BOCC also warned residents at the time that this was going to have a cost. Those costs became a reality in August when TRIM notices went out. I failed to explain this to our residents and businesses.

Once the TRIM notices started hitting the mailboxes, email and phones went afire for the Commissioners about the cost increases. My initial reaction was that people thought “someone else” would pay for this cost increase, the truth is that that “someone else” faces us each morning in the mirror, there is no “someone else”. We as the residents asked for better ambulance services and we as the residents must pay for it. In the grand scheme of things, for most (but not all) residents, the $200 increase itself wasn’t a huge impact. There was and still is a misconception that this is a 160% increase, but as I explained above, for me this was to be less than a 50% increase.

The worst impact of the new Fire Assessment, however, was on our business community. Many businesses were seeing $5,000, $10,000, $100,000, or more in addition to Fire Assessments. This was to hit not just the bigger business but also every mom-and-pop store and shop in the county. Most may not realize it but there are not the same tax protections on commercial property as there are on residential property, no homestead exemptions, and others to help shelter their values. Businesses are already paying a higher tax burden than residential property owners, and remember, 25% of that was already going to fund the Fire Departments. These tax increases were unsustainable.

Tax increases on business always result in higher costs to the consumers and/or lower profits. Any cost a business experiences – material, labor, energy, taxes, etc., always gets passed to the consumer. While most costs affect a business no matter its location, taxes are very local and can have a positive or negative impact on a business community, in this case all of Sumter County. These higher costs would have driven prices higher and customers away from our Sumter County businesses, and with it a great many jobs. This would have been an economic disaster for Sumter County, for residents and businesses alike.

Two years ago, efforts to raise one time impact fees sent ripples through our local economy. This annual fire assessment increase would have been a tsunami that would have drowned our economy and taken years to recover from, if ever.

As a County Commissioner I represent all of Sumter County, Villages residents, County residents, and businesses alike, and it takes all of us together to make Sumter County the great community it is, but it only takes 5 people, the BOCC, to devastate that community for all of us. I could not do that to our home. I made the motion and voted to not enact this Fire Assessment because the impact on Sumter County was too great. I believe that this was the correct decision for ALL of Sumter County. I also believe that this was a failure, that I, as a board member, failed to ask the question of what the real impact would be on our businesses and how that would impact on our economy. I failed to fully assess the impact on all of Sumter County. Fortunately, the residents and businesses reached out and opened my eyes to the full implications of this in time to stop this. For your feedback I thank you, and for my failure I offer to each resident and business of Sumter County my apologies and my assurance that it won’t happen again.

So where do we go from here? The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity trying to make the necessary budget and services cuts to support the board’s actions for next year. The County staff has done a remarkable job and the proposed concessions by the Firefighter’s Union that represents SCFEMS cannot go without mention. The next year will be a time of austerity for Sumter County as we try to plan for the next year and figure out how to pay for and provide the needed services for all of Sumter County. There are many ideas on the table that will be considered, some better than others. One thing is certain in my mind, the pendulum from 2 years ago swung too far the other way and we must now somehow find a way to center it and provide that balance of better service at an acceptable cost. It will be a difficult challenge but one I am sure we will be victorious over as failure again is not acceptable.

[BobnBev]

PRESS RELEASE
Immediate Release:
September 9, 2023
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE 9/19/23 SUMTER COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMISSIONERS AGENDA
REGARDING REGARDING FIRE & EMS

Contact: Bradley Arnold
County Administrator
(352) 689-4400
bradley.arnold@sumtercountyfl.gov

Sumter County, FL -
On September 19, 2023, the Sumter County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) will be considering several items on its agenda related to Fire & EMS services in Sumter County.

The items include a modification to its ordinance authorizing the designated fire agencies to charge for the annual fire inspections of businesses and the recovery of costs associated with any hazardous material response. Sumter County Fire & EMS Department Fire Chief Rob Hanson stated, "the proposed charging of fees for these services provided by our department and that of The Villages Public Safety Department (VPSD) increases the revenue for both departments in balancing the revised expenditure plan. As both Fire & EMS departments have their Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity (COPCN) approved by the BOCC, there is no question that both departments are the current designated fire agencies referenced by the ordinance." The proposed change in the language to the generic version of fire agency(ies), "also provides the open door for the BOCC's future consideration of a dependent district for the service area provided through the agreement with the Village Center Community Development District (VCCDD) and discussed with the VCCDD Manager," commented Bradley Arnold, County Administrator. The VCCDD Manager, Kenny Blocker and County Administrator Bradley Arnold, reiterate that "this proposed ordinance does not eliminate the VPSD from its current responsibilities of service provision in its designed service area as denoted in the VCCDD contract and COPCN with the BOCC."

The County Administrator and the VCCDD Manager also have a proposed amendment to Sumter County's contract with the VCCDD that will allow the use of VCCDD's other revenues for operational expenditures of VPSD rather than the restricted use for capital expenditures of $10,000 and above.

"This amendment is a relief point for the VCCDD following the BOCC's decision on August 22, 2023 regarding the proposed change to the methodology and rates for the fire assessment," stated Bradley

Arnold, County Administrator.
The current methodology for the fire assessment has a cap of $125.00 per improved parcel per year and this annual rate is also up for consideration to increase from the current rate of $124.00 to the cap of $125.00. Chief Rob Hanson stated, "both fire departments are counting on the continuation of the fire assessment and the $1.00 increase for the revenue needed to balance the budgets starting October 1,
2023."

One of the most important items for the Sumter County Fire & EMS Department is the ratification of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Local 5313 and the BOCC to deviate from its collective bargaining agreements. If ratified, this MOU will also be on this same agenda for the BOCC's consideration. "We greatly appreciate the level of partnership we have with the Local 5313 and their participation in the development of the revised Sumter County Fire & EMS Department's budget" stated Bradley Arnold, County Administrator.

The agenda and all supporting documentation for the September 19, 2023 BOCC Meeting will be available for viewing online Friday, September 15, 2023, at 2:00 PM at Sumter County, FL - Official Website | Official Website (http://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/) agendas.

Sumter County, FL - Official Website | Official Website (http://www.sumtercountyfl.gov)

Bradley Arnold, County Administrator==5 times==Is he in love with himself, or what.

[Stu from NYC]

Bradley Arnold, County Administrator==5 times==Is he in love with himself, or what.

Guess he likes his title. He even owns several shirts with that on it according to a secret admirer

[Stu from NYC]

Stu,
I'm not going to pass the buck on this one, that's not my way, I will take responsibility for my actions, inactions, and errors, victories however always go the whole.

Hindsight is 20/20 they say and what I see in hindsight is a failure on my part. This resolution, in my opinion, should have never come to a public vote in the form that it did. Why did it? Because I failed the residents and businesses of Sumter County when the BOCC was discussing this in July. During the workshop I asked the question of how other counties are doing the assessments and got the response that they were doing it in a similar manner. Where I failed was not to ask how our proposed rates would compare to these others and not to ask for real numbers and how these new fees were going to impact on the hundreds of businesses throughout the county. Had I asked these questions perhaps things would have been different, perhaps a different tact may have been taken, perhaps the outcome of the 8/22 meeting would have been different. Again, hindsight is 20/20.

The notion put out by many that a business pays the same as a homeowner is false, and intentionally misleading by some who know better. Those that espouse this notion I would advise caution on what their agenda may be. Yes, we all pay $124/year for the MSBU but that only covers a small portion of the true cost, the rest comes from the county ad valorem tax (based on the value of the property) that varies by property.

I'm unhappy with the vote and I'm unhappy with the fact that we painted ourselves into a corner on this issue. Unfortunately, because of the way the budgeting process works in government, the fire departments have taken the brunt of the impact. We, however, as a community will all feel the pain of the decisions that had to be made.

There are several options being surfaced about how to deal with is in the upcoming year and exploring and analyzing these will be the #1 priority of this board member. There is, however, only one option that will prevent a substantial tax increase - cutback on services. There is no "someone else" that is going to be paying the bill.

There are some digital warriors that make claims of mismanagement or worse on the part of the county, these claims are false and are made from a position of ignorance or deception. The budget has hundreds of moving parts regulated by just as many local, state, and federal laws and requirements; it is the job of the county staff and the BOCC to navigate and comply with all of these requirements while trying to provide the needed and wanted services of the community. These armchair quarterbacks should stick to second guessing the Sunday football games instead of trying to second guess the budget and the things they know little about.

We have a long year ahead of us. Communications from the County to the community and from the community to the County will be essential in resolving the budget and services changes that must happen.

What is included below is the response I sent to the Sumter Sun Times when I was asked why I voted as I did. The full article and responses by all BOCC members is available at the link below.

Commissioners share reasoning on fire fee votes | Sumter Sun Times | midfloridanewspapers.com (https://www.midfloridanewspapers.com/sumter_sun_times/commissioners-share-reasoning-on-fire-fee-votes/article_6b0ac924-4d82-11ee-be75-ef565039aba5.html)

The recent vote on the changes in the fire assessment for Sumter County by the Board of County Commissioners was, in my opinion, a failure by the Board for the residents and businesses of Sumter County. I am speaking for myself and not for the other Commissioners. I failed to adequately communicate the need for the changes, I failed to adequately explain what these changes were, and I failed to ensure that everyone understood what the real costs are to operate our combined Fire Departments.

Let me take the last failure first, what is the true costs to residents and businesses for our combined fire services here in Sumter County? Most believe that the $124 Fire Assessment on their annual property tax bill is all they pay, for most of the count taxpayers this is incorrect. This Fire Assessment only covers about 25% of the total operating cost of the fire departments, the rest comes from the general fund whose main funding is the annual ad valorem tax on individual properties. On your annual property tax bill this is the first line item and the one we are always talking about when we discuss property tax rates or millage rate cuts. Our Fire Departments and Sherriff’s Office are the two biggest items this money goes to. The Fire Departments represent about 25-30% of this budget. In my tax bill for 2022 that ad valorem tax is $1240, so $310 of it PLUS the $124 Fire Assessment went to fund our Fire Departments, or about $434 last year. Each resident and business can do the same calculations to find out what they are really paying for fire services.

There are some properties within Sumter County that only paid $124 last year, these were mostly smaller properties with low taxable values that exemptions such as homestead reduce their taxable value to $0 and these properties pay no ad valorem tax. To assume that $124 is all any resident or business is paying, however, is grossly incorrect. I failed to explain this to our residents and businesses.

Why the big change and where did the money go? Quite simply, ambulance services. Two and a half years ago the cry came out from across the county about poor ambulance service and the time it was taking to get transported. The BOCC listened, formed a committee to investigate and make recommendations, and residents came forward from all across the county, me included, expressing their opinions and desires on this critical topic. The predominant opinion was that the Fire Departments should bring transport services in house and provide them and not use a for profit company as was the current operations. Once again, the BOCC listened, sided with the residents and efforts started to provide these services starting October 1st, 2022. The BOCC also warned residents at the time that this was going to have a cost. Those costs became a reality in August when TRIM notices went out. I failed to explain this to our residents and businesses.

Once the TRIM notices started hitting the mailboxes, email and phones went afire for the Commissioners about the cost increases. My initial reaction was that people thought “someone else” would pay for this cost increase, the truth is that that “someone else” faces us each morning in the mirror, there is no “someone else”. We as the residents asked for better ambulance services and we as the residents must pay for it. In the grand scheme of things, for most (but not all) residents, the $200 increase itself wasn’t a huge impact. There was and still is a misconception that this is a 160% increase, but as I explained above, for me this was to be less than a 50% increase.

The worst impact of the new Fire Assessment, however, was on our business community. Many businesses were seeing $5,000, $10,000, $100,000, or more in addition to Fire Assessments. This was to hit not just the bigger business but also every mom-and-pop store and shop in the county. Most may not realize it but there are not the same tax protections on commercial property as there are on residential property, no homestead exemptions, and others to help shelter their values. Businesses are already paying a higher tax burden than residential property owners, and remember, 25% of that was already going to fund the Fire Departments. These tax increases were unsustainable.

Tax increases on business always result in higher costs to the consumers and/or lower profits. Any cost a business experiences – material, labor, energy, taxes, etc., always gets passed to the consumer. While most costs affect a business no matter its location, taxes are very local and can have a positive or negative impact on a business community, in this case all of Sumter County. These higher costs would have driven prices higher and customers away from our Sumter County businesses, and with it a great many jobs. This would have been an economic disaster for Sumter County, for residents and businesses alike.

Two years ago, efforts to raise one time impact fees sent ripples through our local economy. This annual fire assessment increase would have been a tsunami that would have drowned our economy and taken years to recover from, if ever.

As a County Commissioner I represent all of Sumter County, Villages residents, County residents, and businesses alike, and it takes all of us together to make Sumter County the great community it is, but it only takes 5 people, the BOCC, to devastate that community for all of us. I could not do that to our home. I made the motion and voted to not enact this Fire Assessment because the impact on Sumter County was too great. I believe that this was the correct decision for ALL of Sumter County. I also believe that this was a failure, that I, as a board member, failed to ask the question of what the real impact would be on our businesses and how that would impact on our economy. I failed to fully assess the impact on all of Sumter County. Fortunately, the residents and businesses reached out and opened my eyes to the full implications of this in time to stop this. For your feedback I thank you, and for my failure I offer to each resident and business of Sumter County my apologies and my assurance that it won’t happen again.

So where do we go from here? The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity trying to make the necessary budget and services cuts to support the board’s actions for next year. The County staff has done a remarkable job and the proposed concessions by the Firefighter’s Union that represents SCFEMS cannot go without mention. The next year will be a time of austerity for Sumter County as we try to plan for the next year and figure out how to pay for and provide the needed services for all of Sumter County. There are many ideas on the table that will be considered, some better than others. One thing is certain in my mind, the pendulum from 2 years ago swung too far the other way and we must now somehow find a way to center it and provide that balance of better service at an acceptable cost. It will be a difficult challenge but one I am sure we will be victorious over as failure again is not acceptable.

Don thanks for the info but still do not understand something.

We were already paying for fire and ambulance service and as the Villages grows would think there would be some economy of scale.

Was expecting to pay more for ambulance services as our previous supplier was way to slow getting help to people who need it. If cost went up 1-200 dollars so be it.

Do not understand how this increase can be so much. Certainly have to buy a bunch of ambulances but not costing tens of millions of dollars.

[Stu from NYC]

Still glad I voted for you Don.

[Goldwingnut]

Don thanks for the info but still do not understand something.

We were already paying for fire and ambulance service and as the Villages grows would think there would be some economy of scale.

Was expecting to pay more for ambulance services as our previous supplier was way to slow getting help to people who need it. If cost went up 1-200 dollars so be it.

Do not understand how this increase can be so much. Certainly have to buy a bunch of ambulances but not costing tens of millions of dollars.

The original ambulance service was costing the county nothing, they ran off their insurance and copay receipts. They had to manage the P&L so they only provided enough ambulances to remain profitable and meet the minimum contract requirements.

After the residents demanded the ambulance services be run by both fire departments, we went from 6 no-cost ambulances to 16 ambulances maned 24/7 by firefighter-paramedics. This adds 7-8 firefighters per ambulance to the payroll per ambulance x 16, so about 125 new staff for the fire departments plus all the operating costs for the vehicles - fuel, service, supplies, etc. An ambulance is not your basic pickup with a shell slapped on it, it is a very specialized and customized vehicle that requires significant maintenance to maintain 24/7 on call reliability. Plus there is staff training and certification costs. This was a huge undertaking by both FDs at considerable expense. These units were to become fully on-line and available this coming year.

Unfortunately, you can't buy ambulances and their crew at Sam Club, there is no economy of scale, in fact as the size increases there is increased overhead costs with a larger department that must be accounted for.

The cost was not for the ambulances in the coming year, those are covered with ARPA funds (Covid relief) that have been set aside and VCCDD has already purchased the VPSD ambulances, no, this cost is all operating costs - fuel, labor, supplies, etc. There was also money in the budget for the building of station 46 on Warm Springs Ave. because the full implementation of capital expenses for both FDs was not scheduled to go into effect for another year, so both FDs had some capital expenses their budget for the upcoming year, a necessary action. (A new ambulance costs between 350-400k fully outfitted).

[tophcfa]

The original ambulance service was costing the county nothing, they ran off their insurance and copay receipts. They had to manage the P&L so they only provided enough ambulances to remain profitable and meet the minimum contract requirements.

After the residents demanded the ambulance services be run by both fire departments, we went from 6 no-cost ambulances to 16 ambulances maned 24/7 by firefighter-paramedics. This adds 7-8 firefighters per ambulance to the payroll per ambulance x 16, so about 125 new staff for the fire departments plus all the operating costs for the vehicles - fuel, service, supplies, etc. An ambulance is not your basic pickup with a shell slapped on it, it is a very specialized and customized vehicle that requires significant maintenance to maintain 24/7 on call reliability. Plus there is staff training and certification costs. This was a huge undertaking by both FDs at considerable expense. These units were to become fully on-line and available this coming year.

Unfortunately, you can't buy ambulances and their crew at Sam Club, there is no economy of scale, in fact as the size increases there is increased overhead costs with a larger department that must be accounted for.

The cost was not for the ambulances in the coming year, those are covered with ARPA funds (Covid relief) that have been set aside and VCCDD has already purchased the VPSD ambulances, no, this cost is all operating costs - fuel, labor, supplies, etc. There was also money in the budget for the building of station 46 on Warm Springs Ave. because the full implementation of capital expenses for both FDs was not scheduled to go into effect for another year, so both FDs had some capital expenses their budget for the upcoming year, a necessary action. (A new ambulance costs between 350-400k fully outfitted).

That explains a lot, thanks Don. The lesson here is that people need to be a lot more careful about what they demand. Everyone wants better services, but at what cost? Stuff doesn’t magically pay for itself.

[Papa_lecki]

That explains a lot, thanks Don. The lesson here is that people need to be a lot more careful about what they demand. Everyone wants better services, but at what cost? Stuff doesn’t magically pay for itself.

If someone, their wife/husband, their neighbor, their friend has to wait 30 or 40 minutes for the AMR ambulance, and doesn’t survive, the extra $200 for the ambulances to operate within the fire department and show up within 5 minutes is a bargain.

Anyone who thought moving the ambulances from a for profit (who set staffing to make a profit), thus the 40 minute wait times, was NOT going to be substantially more expensive was crazy.

The fire department (and county) need to levy taxes to NOT lose money, BUT their primary driver is constituent service, not profit.

[Altavia]

If someone, their wife/husband, their neighbor, their friend has to wait 30 or 40 minutes for the AMR ambulance, and doesn’t survive, the extra $200 for the ambulances to operate within the fire department and show up within 5 minutes is a bargain.

Anyone who thought moving the ambulances from a for profit (who set staffing to make a profit), thus the 40 minute wait times, was NOT going to be substantially more expensive was crazy.

The fire department (and county) need to levy taxes to NOT lose money, BUT their primary driver is constituent service, not profit.


From my simple simple minded perspective, I'd be more than happy to pay an additional dollar a day for the enhanced ambulance service.

[Happydaz]

From my simple simple minded perspective, I'd be more than happy to pay an additional dollar a day for the enhanced ambulance service.

Unfortunately an extra dollar a day paid by homeowners won’t cover this budget shortfall. The study done by Sumter County did show a need for homeowners to pay around $300 plus but that study also had businesses paying a fire assessment fee based on square footage.

[Bill14564]

Unfortunately an extra dollar a day paid by homeowners won’t cover this budget shortfall. The study done by Sumter County did show a need for homeowners to pay around $300 plus but that study also had businesses paying a fire assessment fee based on square footage.

It looks like the same amount of money could have been raised if the $124 fee was simply increased to $500 with no changes to who pays. Unfortunately, there is little doubt that those who objected to a $200 would have objected even more strongly to a $375 increase.

[Stu from NYC]

The original ambulance service was costing the county nothing, they ran off their insurance and copay receipts. They had to manage the P&L so they only provided enough ambulances to remain profitable and meet the minimum contract requirements.

After the residents demanded the ambulance services be run by both fire departments, we went from 6 no-cost ambulances to 16 ambulances maned 24/7 by firefighter-paramedics. This adds 7-8 firefighters per ambulance to the payroll per ambulance x 16, so about 125 new staff for the fire departments plus all the operating costs for the vehicles - fuel, service, supplies, etc. An ambulance is not your basic pickup with a shell slapped on it, it is a very specialized and customized vehicle that requires significant maintenance to maintain 24/7 on call reliability. Plus there is staff training and certification costs. This was a huge undertaking by both FDs at considerable expense. These units were to become fully on-line and available this coming year.

Unfortunately, you can't buy ambulances and their crew at Sam Club, there is no economy of scale, in fact as the size increases there is increased overhead costs with a larger department that must be accounted for.

The cost was not for the ambulances in the coming year, those are covered with ARPA funds (Covid relief) that have been set aside and VCCDD has already purchased the VPSD ambulances, no, this cost is all operating costs - fuel, labor, supplies, etc. There was also money in the budget for the building of station 46 on Warm Springs Ave. because the full implementation of capital expenses for both FDs was not scheduled to go into effect for another year, so both FDs had some capital expenses their budget for the upcoming year, a necessary action. (A new ambulance costs between 350-400k fully outfitted).

Don''

Thank you for answering me in a way that I can understand.

[kkingston57]

Not sure what really happened with the Independent Fire Commission vote (i.e. would we be in the situation if that vote passed, what were the real facts, etc).
But this is a disaster. I am sure some of this is positioning.

“Sumter County Fire Chief Rob Hanson said he would need to lay off 30 firefighters and nix plans to hire 27 more employees to overcome a $12 million hole in his $24.2-million budget. VPSD Fire Chief Brian Twiss said he would lose 57 new positions planned in his $34.5-million budget.

Last week, American Medical Response (AMR) announced it was pulling its staff and three ambulances from Sumter County due to the budget cuts. AMR, a national private company that provided ambulance service before the two fire departments took it over, will continue to lease four ambulances to Sumter County. The company had a three-year contract to aid the transition to a fully county-operated service.“

This problem and the answers to the problem are as clear as mud. Too much overlap in services. We have a Lady Lake adress(per the post office), live in The Villages and are barely in Sumter Couty. Lake and Marion County are < 1 mile away. Let each county have jurisdiction on Fire and Police services.

[Nevinator]

Don,

Thank you for being so candid and for the detailed explanation in your two responses to this matter.

The only remaining question that I have concerns the decision to add 16 ambulances to replace the previous support provided by 6 ambulances. I understand that response times were unacceptable, but what was the methodology used to justify increasing the number that substantially? Also, assuming that the final number is 16 ambulances and crews, has anyone provided any estimates as to how long that level of support will adequately support the community before more equipment/crews need to be added to support the ever-growing community?

Many thanks!

[JGibson]

Now they want to tap into the amenities fund to pay the $14 million for VPSD.

Two fire departments were always going to be a convoluted mess.

[Bill14564]

Now they want to tap into the amenities fund to pay the $14 million for VPSD.

Two fire departments were always going to be a convoluted mess.

What is the convoluted mess? Separate counties have always had separate fire departments, cities and counties typically have separate fire departments, and where I grew up, separate towns within a county all have separate fire departments. It all works well there and it works well here.

There are several sources of funding for the VPSD. The Sumter county transfer (which includes the $124 assessment) is the largest source but there are other transfers as well. One of the sources is $4.08 per month from our amenity fees. As this amount has not changed in many years (perhaps since 2007), a question was asked whether there would be any support for increasing the amount. At least one member of the AAC was not supportive.

"They" don't want to "tap into the amenities fund." The VCCDD which funds the VPSD is exploring options to help close a $14M shortfall. Adjusting the amenity fee contribution was just one possibility.

[Stu from NYC]

Hopefully this will be resolved quickly and fairly with everyone paying an appropriate amount.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I'm confused, Goldwing. You say AMR ran off insurance co-pays and receipts, and therefore cost the county nothing. Won't the county be running off insurance co-pays and receipts as well? Or are you saying that patients requiring ambulance service will never get a bill for the service?

If that's the case - if hubby passes out in the town square due to dehydration (as he did 2 years ago), I won't see a bill for $1700 for the privilege of him climbing into the ambulance by himself (because he refused to be carried in), not allowing anyone to ride with him, inserting a bag of fluids to his vein, and transporting him ONE BLOCK from the town square to the free-standing ER center?

Because if that's what you're saying, then heck - I'll pay the extra $4/month. I'll also make sure that if I even -think- I might need an ambulance, I will absolutely call for one.

Just remember though - I'm already paying taxes for fire service via my actual tax bill to Lake County. Being double-taxed would be really bad, and most of us living in the Lake County part of The Villages might want to have a word about which entity will be refunding us every year.