[jbrown132]

The more homes and businesses you have the greater the tax base. Taxes and fire assessments should go down not up.

[scottiesrgreat@gmail.com]

I think they want to ‘streamline’ tax hikes up to $360 - in the future w/out going thru the process of presenting to the public why they are asking for it and what they intend to exactly do with it. If we need tax increases - ok - but - we need to have the right to know - in advance - exactly where and how the money will be spent and be able to voice our opinions.

I think our firefighters are great. It is not fair to them or us - if we must pre-commit to up to 3x what we are paying now - with no say on how it is spent.

Think of it this way - you have a college kid wanting to go to college - you tell them - ok - “I will agree to give you $40k to get your degree - here is the check - I trust you, no questions asked.” After the first semester - your kid comes home and says - “I need more for my college degree - I went to an Ivy League school and $40k only paid for the first semester - oh, and by the way - I failed all my classes:”.

Writing a check for an amount up to 3x more - with absolutely no governance in place - In my opinion, can easily result in even higher taxes.

[Mountaineers]

Originally Posted by Scbang

Hi, I just received a notification from Sumter County that my fire protection assessment will be increased from $125 to $360. Is this real? 3 times of the current assessment? They said I have to attend the meeting to appeal. Is this one of the scams that only attending people get to stay with the current rate and snowbirds will be assessed 3 times higher rate? Please advise.. SC

The comments are partially correct. It's not an increase, its a proposal to raise the ceiling of increases without notice. The fundamental problem is the Commission has not conducted an economic study to precede the proposal. The ceiling amount is arbitrary. I think nearly everyone supports firefighters. But, I would want to know if we're going to reach the new ceiling this year or in ten years. That question can only be answered by a proper forecast of revenues/expenses factoring growth and increase in revenue due to growth.

[WesMan]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I think they should be built and staffed based on the number of fires, not on the number of houses. It seems to me that there aren't very many house fires occurring in The Villages.

You are incorrect!!!!!!! Open your eyes!!!

[Gmaf6]

We may not have many fires in TV, but our firemen are also EMTs and they get called many times for health emergencies. Not a day goes by when I don’t see or hear several ambulances go by. My only question about the hike is where did our 25% tax increase go? Wildwood, it’s my understanding, has a substantial surplus so.........??????

[Girlcopper]

Originally Posted by Choro&Swing

I have an ex-brother-in-law who is a Libertarian. He believes that the fire departments should be privatized. People could decide whether or not they want to pay for fire protection. If they want it, they would pay a yearly fee, rather like insurance, say $350 a year. This would pay the costs of running the fire department, including salaries, supplies, and equipment. If there was a fire in the homes of those people, the fire department would come put it out. No further charge. Essentially, all the subscribers chip in to cover the costs.

However, those who didn’t want to pay the $350 a year could opt out and pay nothing. But if there was a fire, the fire department would show up and keep the homes of the neighbors safe. If the homeowner without coverage refused to sign the paperwork, the burning house would burn to the ground. If the homeowner did sign, the home would be saved if possible, but the homeowner would receive a fair bill from the fire department that includes all costs for putting out the fire, for training, for insurance, for hospital costs, etc. Say a minimum of $10,000, and easily ten times that amount.

He also believes that police protection should be for those who pay for it. There’s a burglary at your house? If you haven’t paid for police insurance and want help, you get billed for, say, the detectives, the court case, etc. I don’t agree with him.

Only get service if you pay and let crime run rampant and your house burn down if you dont? Ridiculous.

[Windguy]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I think they should be built and staffed based on the number of fires, not on the number of houses. It seems to me that there aren't very many house fires occurring in The Villages.

Most of their work is as paramedics. Don’t think of it as the number of fires, but how often you hear their sirens.

[Dilligas]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I think they should be built and staffed based on the number of fires, not on the number of houses. It seems to me that there aren't very many house fires occurring in The Villages.

You need to learn more about what the fire Dept does. Home fires, although significantly important, is only a part of their Service to us. When you have a hart attach or other medical issue, the are at your home in 4 minutes, with life saving equipment and training. The assist the elderly in maintaining smoke alarms, the respond to accidents of bikes, cars, or carts......virtually every 911 call in TV. They also assist in neighbor to neighbor response team set ups so that your medical issue is handled within 2 minutes (before TVFD arrives) and CPR training. TV Fire department response is one of the best in the nation and is being modeled by many other communities.

[Lindaws]

It is a cap NOT a new assessment charge.

[Dantes]

Your correct nothing is free unless your not from this county 🤫

[pgettinger01]

I agree with you. Base it on the history of calls not on number of houses.

[vintageogauge]

This is a drop in the bucket in comparison to the increase in our property values over the last several years and with the high cost of building supplies the values will continue to increase. Also having a well funded top notch fire department is a plus when selling your home which eventually all of us will be doing.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Choro&Swing

I have an ex-brother-in-law who is a Libertarian. He believes that the fire departments should be privatized. People could decide whether or not they want to pay for fire protection. If they want it, they would pay a yearly fee, rather like insurance, say $350 a year. This would pay the costs of running the fire department, including salaries, supplies, and equipment. If there was a fire in the homes of those people, the fire department would come put it out. No further charge. Essentially, all the subscribers chip in to cover the costs.

However, those who didn’t want to pay the $350 a year could opt out and pay nothing. But if there was a fire, the fire department would show up and keep the homes of the neighbors safe. If the homeowner without coverage refused to sign the paperwork, the burning house would burn to the ground. If the homeowner did sign, the home would be saved if possible, but the homeowner would receive a fair bill from the fire department that includes all costs for putting out the fire, for training, for insurance, for hospital costs, etc. Say a minimum of $10,000, and easily ten times that amount.

He also believes that police protection should be for those who pay for it. There’s a burglary at your house? If you haven’t paid for police insurance and want help, you get billed for, say, the detectives, the court case, etc. I don’t agree with him.

I seem to recall this was tried a long time ago in our early history.........didn’t work then either.

[Rsenholzi]

It is real , and another thing that should have been covered by the developers impact fees instead of charging the residents of TV! We are paying for the building of the additional firehouses, buying of trucks and equipment, hiring of more firefighters, etc. This should have been factored in in the impact fees to the developer! Yet they still pay under $1000. Stand up and be heard

[Jeffmit]

Looks like protection money paid to the mob.