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Voters have final say on $70 fire service fee hike

Fire district officials say the increase is needed to keep from going $500,000 in debt.

By SHEILA MULLANE ESTRADA
Published August 6, 2006

INDIAN ROCKS BEACH - The financial future of the Pinellas Suncoast Fire and Rescue District will be decided by voters this fall in a referendum asking approval for a 37 percent hike in fire service fees.

If approved, the $70 increase in the annual $190 fee now charged each residential structure in the fire district would not go into effect until the 2007-2008 fiscal year. Rates for commercial, motel and other types of buildings also would rise.

But if the rate increase is rejected by voters, as happened in 2004, the fire district's red ink will top a half-million dollars by 2008 and possible force the state Legislature to intervene.

The $70 rate hike - $15 more than originally proposed - was approved unanimously Tuesday by the fire commission.

Indian Shores Councilor Jim Smith called the amount an unexpected "shock", and questioned why the additional money was needed.

Fire Commissioner John Todia explained that by raising the annual fee by only the cost of "a few more cups of coffee," the district will be able to get out of debt sooner (a little more than two years) and get a jump-start on rebuilding reserves necessary for future purchases of firetrucks and related equipment.

"This creates a reasonable fund balance," Todia said, adding that without the $70 fee increase, "we will be out of capital by the end of 2007-2008. Odds are the district would be taken over by the county and the fee changed at will."

Todia acknowledged that "nothing is easy to sell," but stressed the district must convince voters it is in their best interest to support the fee increase.

Whether or not the district will get the support of the commissions of Belleair Beach, Belleair Shore, Indian Rocks Beach and Indian Shores is another matter.

Bad feelings arose between the fire district and the towns in 2004 when the mayors and their commissioners actively opposed a referendum called by the fire district to change and increase how property owners paid for fire service.

When voters rejected the fire fee change, fire officials blamed the mayors. The bad feelings escalated when the mayors pushed for a county investigation into the district's alleged mishandling of fire district finances and operations - charges the district denies to this day.

The four mayors also successfully blocked the fire district's attempt last year to enlist the support of the county's legislative delegation to change the district's state charter.

The fire district still plans to ask the Legislature to allow annual cost-of-living increases to its base fire fees without requiring a referendum.

Ironically, representatives from Indian Rocks Beach and Belleair Beach were conspicuously absent from Tuesday's special public hearing on the proposed referendum.

The Indian Rocks Beach commission funded an independent lawsuit against the fire district challenging how fire fees were structured and was among the sharpest critics of how the fire district spent taxpayer funds.

Particularly at issue were costs associated with an EMS unit stationed in Redington Shores. That station provides EMS services to Redington Shores, North Redington Beach and Redington Beach, which are outside the actual fire district boundaries.

The district has provided EMS services to the area since 1976 under contract with the county. That contract is up for renewal and fire officials say they want to make sure they get enough money to completely finance EMS costs outside the boundaries of the fire district.

The fire district's official boundaries encompass about 12,500 homes and businesses in Indian Shores, Indian Rocks Beach, Belleair Beach and Belleair Shore, as well as a portion of the unincorporated mainland south of Walsingham Road.

[Last modified August 5, 2006, 19:31:41]