Disagree with how assessments work
 

I have to disagree with this reply. An assessment is assessed on everybody. The more houses the more assessments to cover any additional costs! You don't need to raise the assessment to cover the cost the fact that there are more houses and more assessments should cover the costs. If there is a need because of inflation to increase revenue it would never be at a 300% rate! Just like all governments they need to work within the means that were set forth at the beginning. Increasing an assessment 300% is ridiculous!

The ambulance companies are reimbursed by health insurance, but the Fire Department is funded by taxes. About 58 percent of firefighter calls are for medical emergencies. So, apparently, if a fire truck and an ambulance both respond to a call, the ambulance company will file an insurance claim, but the Fire Department will not. This sounds like redundancy, but maybe it is worth the cost to have firefighters and an ambulance respond to medical emergencies.

It seems to me that too many fire departments use the fire trucks every time an ambulance goes out. That, in my opinion, is not good use of resources. If the fire trucks only went out when they were truly needed, they could not justify adding more trucks and personnel. The only explanation I have been given by firemen for this, is the paramedics might need help lifting a heavy patient. Well, seems like it would be an easy question for 911 dispatchers to ask before deploying an ambulance, which already has 2 paramedics. Ask our commissioners the question and perhaps save some assessments in the future?

Yes, 58 percent of their deployments are for medical emergencies, not fires.

This is only a CAP increase at this time. The last time they increased the cap was 14 years ago, and the yearly increases finally caught up to that cap. They made the CAP large enough again to be able to suffice for several upcoming smaller increases. Every time they send out a required notice, it costs $39,000 .... So by making the cap large they won't have to send out a notice for several years again. There will be a small increase coming up, though ... As there has been needed all along ( like all other expenses that go up through the years). The letter did not explain any of this well.

They usually get there first and are better trained. If it were my life it would matter to me.

We have lived here 11 years, same Village, same street. There have probably been between 2 and 3 dozen non fire emergency calls responded to in that time. Though I can't prove it, the fire department crews/medics have arrived on scene 1st, every time. They are an extremely valuable asset to our aging population.

St Louis County in Missouri relied upon private fire companies through most of the 1950s. Then there were a few instances of fire companies letting houses burn down. So, elections were held and lots of little public fire protection districts were set up, and everyone was happy for about forty years. Then the firefighters unions began to get their people elected to the fire protection district boards, and suddenly salaries went way up. The union kept management on board by keeping white shirt salaries higher than union rate. Taxes went up too, much hand wringing and crying foul, but not much done because the firefighters' unions were well organized. Count your blessings, and stay registered to vote, and keep your eyes and ears open.

Ems assessment update
 

No public agency should wait 12 years or more to solicit a request for update.
Bad management. A 5 year plan is what is needed. This would keep the updated
amount in focus. Nobody should be planning their budgets for 12 years from now.
Come on...

And then in a new neighborhood barely a year old, the house behind us caught on fire and did substantial smoke damage requiring the house to be taken back to it’s bones to be repaired. The cause of the fire was due to an exploding battery for a cordless lawn mower. The owners were out of their house for over a year.

The last question. For those who live in Marion or Lake county, how much do you pay for fire protection? How much is your maximum assessment and have you received any notification of the assessment increase like us who live in Sumter within last 5 years or so?

I read the Executive Summary https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/Agend...1?fileID=42674 They are planning to remove most of the fire service funding from the general fund so the $360 is likely next year!

The real question here is: Why isn't the Developer paying a fire impact fee for each new house he builds?

The massive expansion of The Villages will require a massive number of new fire stations and equipment. Via a fire impact fee, the cost of those should be borne by The Developer and, to the extent the cost is passed on in the form of higher prices, by the new residents. These costs should not be offloaded on to the present residents of Sumter County.

Because the Developer had 5 puppets on the Sumter County Commission for years, he has been successful in offloading on to the present residents the infrastructure costs of his expansion of The Villages. Thus, we had a 25% property tax hike, and the Developer's sweetheart impact fee remained untouched. None of this is mentioned in today's front-page Daily Sun article by the Developer's Minister of Propaganda David R. Corder.

Enough is enough!

The key word here is emergencies. I have no problem with that as they arrive in just a few minutes, the ambulances can be well over 20 minutes.

When did we here in Sumter receive a notification of a assessment increase? I must be missing something as all I have read about is increasing the maximum "allowable" assessment.

I guess you want the developer to pay for one's oatmeal too.

With sugar on top.

Doesn't the developer already build the fire stations and then turn them over to the CDD? I thought I read that somewhere, is it not true?

"Massive number of new fire stations?" Just how many new fire stations constitute a "Massive number?"

Your song has already gotten old and I haven't been here that long.

:bigbow::bigbow:

No, I just want him to pay for his own county infrastructure instead of having his puppet County Commissioners require the present residents to do so. You disagree with that?

Today's challenge. Can we get through an entire sentence without the words puppet or sweetheart?

I am just amazed how you think you have so much more to offer than the rest of us mere mortals. Why do you hate a successful business so much?

That’s what I thought when the added 350 new homes in my district. Wrong taxes still when up over 200 dollars.

And drink.

I am not the issue here, and I admire successful businesses-- unless they expect the taxpayers to subsidize their operations-- which is what has been going on in Sumter County.

The issue here is who should pay for the county infrastructure necessitated by the Developer's massive expansion of The Villages. That was the issue in the last county commissioner election. In that election, the voters decided, when they booted the Developer's puppets out by a 2-to-1 margin, that the infrastructure should be paid for by the Developer.

The Developer has built and PAID FOR every FIre Station in The Villages. They turn it over, AT NO CHARGE to the District.

I believe that is an example of where The Developer is paying for infrastructure.

It failed to pass.

.
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Sumter commissioners refuse to raise fire assessment cap

April 13, 2021


After listening to about two hours of public comments, Sumter County commissioners Tuesday night voted unanimously not to increase the current maximum fire assessment cap of $125 per improved land parcel.

A proposed increase to $360 aroused intense opposition from more than 150 people who packed the meeting room at Everglades Recreation Center and another 50 or more who listened in an adjacent room.
The fire assessment cap sets the maximum fee that can be charged. The current cap was set in 2007 and this year’s fee was $124 per parcel. Next year’s fee will be set in July during the county budget process.
County Administrator Bradley Arnold said the fixed costs for the county’s two fire departments, one for The Villages and the other for the rest of the county, are about $25.5 million and the fire assessment covers about $8.3 million of that. The rest comes from other sources including property taxes.

Commissioners, known for split 3-2 decisions, were united in opposing any increase.

“This is extremely disadvantageous to citizens who are not well off financially,” Commissioner Oren Miller said of the proposed maximum rate hike. “I do not think we need to raise the cap at all at this time.”

Commissioner Doug Gilpin agreed and said commissioners promised not to raise taxes for five years after a controversial 24 percent tax rate increase in 2019.

“I’m going to keep that commitment,” he said. “I’m not to vote to raise any taxes. We have no need to increase this at all.”

Commissioner Craig Estep said the county should consider setting a maximum amount that the fee can be raised each year.

“I think it’s a comfort for the citizens to put a lid on that annually,” he said. “It’s a comfort to the public to know we aren’t going to slam them with an increase in July.”

After the vote, Commissioner Gary Search said commissioners listened to the people.

“Whether we agree with each other’s decisions, it’s about the people,” he said.

The crowd objected loudly when County Chairman Garry Breeden interrupted the public hearing for scheduled zoning cases and about a third of the most angry people stormed out. The hearing resumed after the cases were done.

The vote came after a succession of speakers from both rural Sumter County and The Villages blasted the proposed maximum cap increase. Some speakers said commissioners were catering too much to The Villages while others criticized the lack of fire hydrants and poor response times in rural areas.

Marjorie Wells, 90, a resident of southern Sumter County, said she was there when the county last raised the maximum fire assessment cap in 2007.

Wells said she recently spent 16 days in the hospital and 10 days in a nursing home as she successfully battled the COVID-19 virus.

“This county commission all sold out to The Villages,” she said. “We are farmers and we like where we live. We don’t want to have to move out of the county.”

Danielle Root of Lake Panasoffkee said the money should come from The Villages since Villagers and future Villagers will benefit the most.

“I don’t understand why you are going to ask every single person for the money when it’s going to be handed to The Villages,” she said.

Charlie Jacobs of Wildwood said the fee is “the way of having the poor people pay for us not having a state income tax.”

Linda Miller and Ivory Gray of Oxford said there is no way they could afford to pay an annual fire assessment of over $300.

Delbert Crosby and Kenneth Noble said county officials should address problems of substandard service and sending too many trucks to some incidents.

“I want the proper service for what I am paying for,” Noble said.

Copyright infringement cut&paste from the online hater paper???

You lost. Suck it up. Are you really Meta? Seems like the voters are having buyer's remorse.

I see no Delbert Crosby and Kenneth Noble on the Sumter Property Appraiser's web site? But I'll still place this in the book I'm writing. I have a chapter on "All the things people want to be in charge of." Fire Dept. response assignments will be added to the longggggggg list!

True story: On one call during my career in the Fire Service we were at a local college for an alarm. Response assignment for a school was 3 Engine Co., 1 Truck Co., a Rescue Squad, and a Bn. Chief. Turns out it was a M.F.A. and all units were returned to service. As I was getting back on my rig a College Professor ask me why were so many pieces of equipment sent? I told him we usually just send the "False Alarm Rig" but it was down for repairs that day. He said "Oh I understand" or something to that effect. You can't make this crap up..... no one would believe you.

The people that are allowed to teach our children. Sad sometimes

In the Daily Sun article there seemed to be a lot of ignorant questions being ask. Like why change the flowers so often tax money could be saved to pay for fire protection.....

:ohdear: A long time ago I stopped asking "How uninformed can people be?" Mostly because I think some where taking it as a challenge! :icon_wink:

Amen to that.

What is the source of your information and could you supply some details? I am not trying to argue, but it is not easy to find a description of our fire-fighting/ems structure in Sumter County. As I have pointed out, the Developer pays fire and ems impact fees of $0. Are you saying that the Developer supplies fire and ems equipment, as well as the fire-station buildings?

Do you know where a description can be found as to the process and structure that you describe? Also, how does the Sumter County fit into the structure that you describe? Which "District" do you understand owns the buildings and equipment?

Assuming that you are correct and the Developer does build the fire stations and turns them over to a"District" free of charge, who pays for the fire and ems trucks and equipment? A single fire engine may cost as much or more than the fire station in which it sits. $1 million dollars for a fire truck? Yup, and here's why

Please show me

The song is far beyond old, it has been in the psychotic ranting stage for a long time now.

:icon_wink: Lawyer joke! :popcorn:

Check the documents on the Sumter County Property Appraiser's website for each parcel of property the fire stations sit on. No sale price is give and the deeds contain a statement that the property can only be used for a fire station (or similar) and that if used for anything else the property reverts back to the original owner (the developer). The only way they (a government body) can agree to a deed restriction like this is if they did not have to pay for the property.