 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Zephyrhills plans for loss of county contract
By BRADY DENNIS, Times Staff Writer ZEPHYRHILLS -- Chances are, the Zephyrhills Fire Department bank account will shrink starting in 2003. City leaders have scheduled a workshop for tonight to discuss what that means, and more important, what to do about it. The city currently receives about $430,000 a year from the county and likely will receive more next year. If that money -- about a quarter of the department's budget -- dries up, problems are sure to follow. "If we lose the contract, it'll be a big financial impact on the city," said fire Chief Robert Hartwig. "Maybe we'll have to lay off 10 firefighters, close a station, lose some equipment and go back to the service of 20 years ago." Hartwig doesn't want to see that happen. He hopes to find a way to maintain a contract with the county. "I think it's worked (well) through the years the way we've had it," he said. "The county says it's all about money. It's not all about money. It's about caring." Zephyrhills and Dade City provide fire protection to areas outside their municipal boundaries under a contract with Pasco County. In June 1999, county commissioners said they planned to terminate the contracts and provide fire protection beginning in 2003. Last week the county acquired land along Centennial Boulevard -- halfway between Dade City and Zephyrhills -- to build a fire station. It also is negotiating to staff the department at the Traveler's Rest mobile home park and will move its Chancey Road station to State Road 54 and Eiland Boulevard west of Zephyrhills. The county also plans to move a truck stationed in Dade City to U.S. 301 north of the city. Those efforts are aimed at providing coverage to east Pasco. Zephyrhills City Manager Steve Spina said he didn't think the county would retract its promise to end the contracts. "What we need to do is get a grip on what's going to happen, then start looking at ideas to get money to keep running the way we run," Spina said. "We just have to be ready for it. I think we definitely have to look at some downsizing." Spina said some projects, such as a station expansion and new training towers at the airport, likely will be delayed or dropped. He and Hartwig said that changes from higher taxes to a public safety impact fee to starting to charge for inspections and false alarms might be necessary. Hartwig said he hoped that even if the department had to shrink that its quality of service would not suffer. "There's concern from everyone," he said. "This puts the question in a lot of people's minds, where we are going and what we are doing." Monday's workshop is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at City Hall, 5335 Eighth St. A regular council meeting will follow at 6 p.m.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
|
