Received New Fire Assessment DOUBLE
 

Thanks to some genius politicians, we received our new Fire assessment fee statement for 2024-25.

320.71

Heads need to roll!

Almost doubling the Fire assessment fee is their answer while we get statements from them like, “We are flush with cash.”

Um yah, no wonder!

If only you had attended one of the presentations or paid attention to the explanation in earlier threads. Then you might understand where that number came from and why it likely represents a decrease in your fire protection payment.

I expected mine to be closer to $350 so I’ll be happy if I see $320. By way of comparison, I paid about $520 for fire protection on my last tax bill.

Did attend
 

I did attend the meeting at the rec center and have a copy of the slide presentation, thanks anyway for your uninformed input.

In that case I am confused by your comment since the information on page 16 of the presentation shows an expected fee of $333. Your $320 is less than what you were told during the presentation.

Are you really expecting a reduction in county taxes? Swampland anyone?

Hmmmm. Less than a dollar a day for fire and ambulance service. I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that was unreasonable.

And, if you (or your loved one) are having a cardiac incident, fast ambulance response, not 30 minutes.

Not Even Lawful
 

Sorry it cant be, but nice try. The assessment can’t legally be raised by more than 3%. It’s Florida law. If a tax is based on a property parcel number, the tax can’t be raised by more than 3% per year.

“ Moreover, Florida law stipulates that the total amount of property taxes collected by each taxing authority cannot increase by more than 3% or the inflation rate, whichever is lesser, unless voters approve an increase.”

You mean like the 9.1% rate cut for 2023 thanks for the investments int infrastructure?

The Villages is adding over $2 billion of new homes to the property tax base every year.


Sumter commissioners slash property tax rate | News | The Villages Daily Sun | thevillagesdailysun.com

Simple! Don't call them when you need help.
Wishing to decapitate the people who risk their lives to help you puts you in the category of spoiled teenagers.

Uh oh. I sense an AED like thread brewing!

You will find that:
1. This is not a property tax; and,
2. This is a new taxing authority establishing a new assessment and not an increase to an existing property tax

Oh you poor villager…expecting nothing to increase..saying you live on a fixed income…all the while collecting social security and maybe a pension while living in a half a million housr

Cry me a river

And we have defrib stations everywhere.

To the OP, “NORMAL”, we have been here eight years and this is the first increase in the fire assessment fee! A less than $3 per week increase and you want to “roll heads”!!! Boy do you need a new Avatar Name!!!!!!

You’re right. Seems the OP is the uninformed or confused one

there is a meeting about this on June 12 at 1:00 PM at the Savannah Center. BE THERE!!!!

We voted for the county to take over ambulance service they have 12 ambulances under AMR we had three. We voted no for the independent district because it would raise our fee and then let them put in the dependent district which is the same thing after we screamed that they cut service because the county cut funding. So what did you expect the budget is 23 million and it is not going to come from your property taxes. We want the service but we don’t want to pay for it. Sorry it doesn’t work that way. $300 a year for fire service isn’t bad and won’t kill you but no service just might.

Part of what you paid before was in your property taxes which is no longer funding the Fire Dept. but will probably go to pay for the roads. I am sure the commissioners will say they have cut your property taxes and not include the new fee in that because it is not a tax but a fee. Kind of like a magician don’t look what my left hand is doing only look at the right.

Ambulance service is not part of that fee that is still funded by the county and the $550 fee for a trip to the hospital. This fee just covers fire protection.

To your point....when will people realize ‘tax’ or ‘fees’ is semantics. It makes people feel good that are from ‘tax free’ states to hear fee vs taxes. In my wallet, it’s all the same thing.

It will be important to see that the Sumter County Commissioners reduce the millage rate by the 1.3mills that covered fire protection this year. If the cost of fire protection is removed from the budget then property taxes can be lowered by that amount. If that happens, if the 1.3mills are removed, then my overall taxes will be reduced by almost $200.

My expectation is that the property tax rate will be reduced but not by the full 1.3mills. I will still be saving money on fire protection but I will be paying more for some additional service in the county. Then again, this is an election year.

The 3% limit ONLY applies to the "ASSESED VALUE" of your homestead property in the Ad Valorem portion of your tax bill. It does not apply to the "MILLAGE RATE" or any of the "NON-AD VALOREM ASSESSMENTS". In 2019, the Sumter County millage rate was legally increased by 25%.

The very definition of a shell game. At least you acknowledge such

Ambulance Transport is not part of the fee. If you call 911 and an ambulance comes to your home and Transport is not needed, then there is no charge; most of the Villages fire department's responses don't require transport.

Inappropriate post by an unhappy person.

I tried but I cannot find that definition when I search on "shell game." I certainly do not acknowledge that there is any "shell game" going on.

If the implication is that funding sources are being manipulated to disguise or hide anything then this seems to achieve exactly the opposite. Rather than having the fire protection costs buried in the overall budget they are being separated and made more clear. Reducing the number of items in the budget will make the budge even easier to understand. If additional expenses are added to the budget they will have a larger impact now that the fire protection costs have been removed and will be easier to identify. Listing the fire protection costs in a separate line item does not hide them, it makes them easier to see and understand.

Not everything in life is determined by a Google search...

“I will still be saving money on fire protection but I will be paying more for some additional service in the county. Then again, this is an election year.”

That’s what I based my ‘shell game’ response on.

Wasn't AMR just EMT's and TVFD are paramedics.

If so the service would be an upgrade.

A bit more
 

I don’t think the bill for fire protection is atrocious if a total aggregated bill was itemized and this was a subsection of the bill. You are talking about a different game though if you are drawn in as a Wildwood resident. Wildwood residents already pay a lot for nothing. We aren’t the unincorporated section already freeloading for police off of everybody’s sheriff department.

The one member of the county board who stated we wouldn't also be paying for Sumter County Fire is no longer on the board. We shall see. I wouldn't count on them doing us right.

No need to be nasty or rude to responders. It appears YOU were mistaken based on all the responses.

Fire assessment fee
 

I live next to, not in, the Villages and got a letter. ? ? ?

Amen. And thank you for pointing this out.

Well worth it IF they bring you to a REAL HOSPITAL in Gainesville.

I'm amused at people's misdirected irritation with SS and pensions. If you work for a living you pay a TAX on every paycheck- that TAX is called Social Security. Over your working life you pay in Much More than you collect in retirement. Now, as for pensions. Pensions are offered by employers to make their jobs more attractive to workers and as an incentive to stay at that job long term. Most pensions are self-funded (from My Pay Check), as well as an employers contributions over time.

In my particular case, my Social Security and Pension combined provide me with less than Half of what I was paid while working. I just realized I'm wasting my time explaining what should be common sense to someone addicted to criticizing people, and in this case criticizing people living on money that They Earned- who, like everyone else, including the criticizer, want the most value for their money.

Fire Assessment Increase
 

I agree with Victor on this one. It was simply and adequately explained in the Daily Sun as to how the new cost compares to what was paid in the past. I see a decrease in my annual fire protection payment.

Oh, I thought the whole purpose of changing the fire set up was related to Ambulance response time (I didn’t think the ambulance fee was included).
When ambulance was outsourced to AMR, response time could be 30 minutes, now that response is from the fire department, response time has improved drastically, which means you get to a doctor faster.

the members of that committee just vote the way the developer wants them too. Thus, a huge increase in fire assessments with no decrease in the taxes. Works out well for the developer...not so good for us. The members of that committee are elected. They can be turned out.

Say you’re have a cardiac incident, you would rather drive for 60 minutes to Gainesville than get to a doctor as quickly as possible?

1. Did your letter come from the SCFEMS? They are also working on a new fee structure and may have sent out letters.

2. Do you live close enough to be one of the few non-Village properties covered by the VPSDDD? Here is a map showing the coverage area.

If neither of those is the case, contact whoever sent the letter (VPSDDD or the Sumter County Tax Collector) and ask them to explain it.