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Merging police, fire with county good idea

In a rare move in this age of political posturing, when campaign promises are forgotten moments after the polls close, Phil Price is poised to make good on a pledge he made to voters during the recent election season.

The newly minted Crystal River City Council member is expected to propose at tonight's meeting that the city merge its fire and police departments with their counterparts in the county.

The idea makes a lot of sense, normally a sign that it would have a decent chance of success. But the City Council has a history of making decisions based on factors other than sound judgment. Thus the outcome of Price's proposal is in doubt.

Price, an accountant by training, figures that Crystal River taxpayers can save well over $800,000 a year by having the Sheriff's Office contract with the city for law enforcement services and by letting the county fire services operate the local Fire Department.

These are not hypothetical arguments. The city of Inverness disbanded its Police Department and entered into an agreement with the Sheriff's Office several years ago and the arrangement has worked out well for all parties.

The taxpayers have received top-level police service and a reduction in the city budget. Almost all of the Inverness police officers went to work for the sheriff and are patrolling the same city streets, only with better equipment and training and with different-color uniforms.

The Fire Department, already dispatched through the county system, could see the same sort of seamless transition. Since the city firefighters respond to calls outside the city limits, full participation in the county system would be logical.

The loudest argument against such changes echoes the cries heard this year during the citizens' initiative to disband the city altogether. Crystal River has a long and proud history as an incorporated city and many residents see any change in basic services as a loss of the city's soul.

Price, a vocal supporter of the dissolution effort, says that such nostalgic feelings come at a steep cost to city residents who already are double-taxed through local and county assessments.

At a time of rising property assessments and a stagnant economy, any action that would reduce the financial burden on residents without any drop in the quality of such essential services deserves serious consideration.

The City Council just went through a sobering budget process, during which a number of dramatic cost-cutting ideas were advanced. The members must be realistic about the financial status of the city both today and in the future.

Price is right to suggest ways to improve the city's fiscal health by adjusting its services. His colleagues on the board should follow his lead.

[Last modified December 10, 2006, 23:06:16]