Plan calls for higher taxes, no fire district
It's offered as a solution to annexation woes.
By ANNE LINDBERG, Times Staff Writer
Published August 29, 2007
A proposal to solve the annexation problem in central Pinellas County could increase property taxes for the 43,000 residents of Lealman and eventually eliminate its fire district.
And the idea seems to be just fine with Lealman fire officials, who put part of the deal on the table.
The proposal was broached Monday during a meeting of a task force appointed by the Legislature to come up with a solution to the annexation problems that have plagued Pinellas County for almost a decade.
Under the solution suggested by fire officials, Lealman would continue to provide fire service to properties taken from the district by annexation.
The annexing city would pay Lealman a portion of what it costs the district to provide fire service. Lealman taxpayers would be responsible for the remainder of the cost. In essence, Lealman taxpayers would end up subsidizing fire service to properties in Pinellas Park and St. Petersburg.
"You're going to be getting less and less funding," Pinellas Park Mayor Bill Mischler pointed out to Lealman fire representatives. "The result (is that) the unincorporated area is going to pay higher taxes ... to offset (the loss)."
"There is that risk," said Maggie Mooney, an attorney who represents the Lealman Fire Commission.
Pinellas Park and St. Petersburg want to see the end of the Lealman fire district. Both cities favor a "sunset" or other dissolution of the district.
"It will not be feasible for the district to exist over the long haul," St. Petersburg Deputy Mayor Tish Elston said. St. Petersburg will not sign on to a settlement, she said, unless "we agree the district should go away."
Lealman Fire Commission Chairwoman Becky Harriman agreed that making the fire district go away was "a possibility."
But Ray Neri, head of the Lealman Community Association, was outraged.
"I think the intent of the cities is to slice and dice us," he said. "The intent of the fire board is to preserve jobs - their jobs and their positions. It was clear to me that the only ones not represented at that table are the people of Lealman. They don't have a voice there."
Neri added, "The chief (made a) comment to me that the fire department is just as concerned about the people of Lealman as its jobs. That's baloney."
The Lealman officials are interested in preserving the district for at least 20 years, according to a draft agreement they handed to the city representatives. That, Neri said, would conveniently get the chief and other Lealman fire officials to retirement before the district went under. But city officials seemed to be interested in a shorter time period before dissolving the district.
Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch, who chairs the task force, said the people of Lealman will have a voice. Welch wants the task force to hold public hearings before firming up the deal.
But Neri said it will be too late then. And, he said, it will be easy for the cities and fire representatives to ignore the wishes of the people.
A better idea, he said, is to have a binding referendum asking Lealman residents if they want to be open to annexation.
Annexation has been an issue for the unincorporated Lealman area at least since the fire district was created in 2000. The problem is that cities annexed out tax-rich properties leaving Lealman as the first responder for fires. That meant the Lealman fire district had to maintain its level of service with fewer tax dollars. The burden fell on Lealman taxpayers, who are some of the poorest in Pinellas County.
But now, the fire district has suggested a solution that mimics in part the problem originally caused by the annexations. Annexations could occur, but instead of losing all tax money, the district would only lose part of it. That still would potentially increase the burden on Lealman property owners who did not annex.
Eventually, the burden could become so great that taxpayers could no longer afford to support the fire district.
But doing away with the fire district would not be easy. It was created by the Legislature and by a referendum of Lealman residents.
Another referendum would have to be held to get the peoples' permission to eliminate the district, and the Legislature would have to approve.
Even if the district were eliminated, the people living in the Lealman area would still need fire service. Mischler had one suggestion: Divide the Lealman district between Pinellas Park and St. Petersburg.
Pinellas Park could take over fire coverage of the eastern portion of the district, which is currently covered by Station 18 that is housed in a new multimillion dollar building. St. Petersburg could take the western portion of the fire district, which is now covered by Station 19.
Another suggestion was consolidation of services, at least as far as fire service in unincorporated Pinellas is concerned.
Welch liked that idea, saying that would help cut costs all around. There's no need, he said, for Pinellas to have 19 different fire departments when four or five would give the same, or better, service at a lower cost.
But, he said, the task force has only 60 days to provide a solution to the Lealman problem to the county's legislative delegation. That's not enough, he said, to work on consolidation.
The task force plans to meet weekly for the next month or two to iron out details of the proposal. If an agreement is reached and the Legislature adopts it, the change would likely take effect July 1.