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.