The elimination of police and fire departments to meet budget needs seems a foregone conclusion. But officials say they have more to offer.
By CHASE SQUIRES
Published August 2, 2003
DADE CITY - As the city woke Friday to learn its fire and police departments might become memories, there were pros, cons and questions.
City Manager Harold Sample stuck to his assessment Friday that there is nothing the city can do financially to continue as it has, with paid fire and police departments.
That has left some asking why remain a city, and left city workers wondering about the status of their jobs.
"There were a lot of folks in my office this morning asking what's going to happen," Fire Capt. Joey Wubbena said Friday. "They're not happy. We want to call this "Black Friday."'
Sample said he will negotiate with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office and Pasco County Fir Rescue to ensure Dade City officers and firefighters are offered jobs.
But both Wubbena and Thompson worried that some employees might become impatient and bolt for another department.
"I hope they don't bail on me," Wubbena said. "We still have to run a department for at least two more months."
Local real estate agent Pat German, who sells property both in and outside the city, said eliminating fire and police cuts a valuable selling point to landowners considering annexing into the city.
"If we are not going to have police and fire protection, and we're raising the taxes to the highest allowed by law, what are you giving me? Why do I want to pay the extra taxes?" she asked. "I've talked to people this week who are seriously concerned over where this town is headed. The city is cutting vital services. They are too shortsighted. The bottom line is, what is a city for?"
Sample said the city will continue to offer enhanced police protection by paying the Pasco County Sheriff's Office for extra deputies committed to Dade City around the clock, while fire protection would be equal to what others in the county get, admittedly less than the current level of service, but with a crew stationed in the heart of town.
And with money saved on overhead, insurance and potential liabilities of fire and police departments, Sample said Dade City could continue to offer value for the tax dollar, including local control of zoning and growth, road maintenance, landscaping and other quality-of-life areas.
The elimination of the fire and police departments isn't a done deal, yet. Commissioners are expected to vote on the matter at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 12 at City Hall. But Mayor Scott Black said Thursday he saw no way around Sample's figures.
In Dunedin, Assistant City Manager Maureen Freaney said the city of 37,000 - with a $44-million operating budget - disbanded its police force in favor of a contract with Pinellas County in the 1990s.
"The biggest argument eight years ago, people said "We're losing our identity by disbanding our police department,"' Freaney said. "I'll tell you, after it's fully evolved and we're fully into it, in many ways it protected our identity. We saved $2-million a year. That really allowed us to put money into the things that make Dunedin what it is. Those are the quality of life issues."
Instead of paying for equipment, a police station, insurance and training for police officers, Dunedin has invested heavily in parks and recreation and leisure activities, including a spring training baseball stadium for the Toronto Blue Jays and a city-owned golf course.
The Florida League of Cities doesn't keep track of how many cities contract with other governments for services, but Assistant General Counsel Eric Hartwell said it's not unusual.
"It tends to work," he said.
In Pasco County, San Antonio and St. Leo split a deputy under contract from the Sheriff's Office. San Antonio contracts with the county for fire protection, but St. Leo will likely be in for a change in protection, as that town contracts with Dade City's fire department for the service.
Downtown florist Tracy Thompson worried that deputies who are assigned to replace Dade City officers wouldn't know the town well and fire crews might not know the roads.
Instead, he said the city should look for ways to be more efficient in some areas and cut in others, such as overtime help for downtown festivals.
Dade City already has farmed out its building inspection duties on a contract basis with Zephyrhills. The city planner resigned last week for family reasons, and Sample told commissioners they might want to reevaluate that position before hiring a new planner.
The city has had some form of its own police force since 1889, and a volunteer fire department formed in 1915 and evolved into a paid department in 1977, according to city records.
Still, Sample told commissioners Thursday he had crunched the numbers every way he could think of, and nothing but drastic changes made sense. The city budget had spiraled over the years out of control, he said. Costs are up, revenue isn't keeping pace. A trim here and there would only be inefficient, he said.
"We hadn't kept up with our salary scales and wages, and it was only going to get worse," he said. "We just reached the point that we could not continue. Something had to go."
Nine miles down the road, Zephyrhills is expected to open a new, $2.6-million police station this winter.
Zephyrhills City Manager Steve Spina attributed much of the city's strong financial picture to its proximity to Tampa and other growth areas, but he said the city's openness to commercial growth also has been key to moving ahead, rather than falling behind.
One large landholder in Dade City, Otto Weitzenkorn, saw what was coming before it got to this point. He suggested deep cuts at meetings this spring.
On Friday, he said the looming end to the fire and police departments is a foregone conclusion but not the end of the world for Dade City. He credited Sample for having the strength and wisdom to make the tough call.
"There are no options other than what's been presented to the commission," he said. "Fortunately, there is a way to keep us protected. I don't like what we're having to do, but I see no way out."
German said the cut is too deep. Without services to offer surrounding landowners, the city's slow growth will come to a full stop, she predicted.
"If we do this, we should disband and just live with the county," she said. "If we give this up, we are sounding the death knell for our town."
