Officials are scrambling to cover projected multi-million-dollar deficits in both county fire departments and several ideas are emerging.
Sumter County commissioners will consider a $1 increase in the annual fire assessment fee along with other ordinance changes on Sept. 19. More substantial fee hikes were voted down 3-2 last month after an outpouring of public opposition.
The $1 annual fee increase is the maximum allowed under a current cap of $125 per parcel.
The ordinance changes also would allow the departments to charge for annual business fire inspections and cost recovery of hazardous material incident expenses.
They would allow The Villages Public Safety Department (VPSD) to use restricted capital funds to address the operational deficit. The money currently must be used for capital expenses greater than $10,000.
County Administrator Bradley Arnold said a proposed ordinance language change would provide an “open door” for commissioners to consider creating a dependent fire district for The Villages. A dependent district would give the VPSD greater control over its finances.
The VPSD provides fire protection and ambulance services. The Sumter County Fire Department provides fire and rescue services outside The Villages.
Last fall, voters rejected a referendum that would have created an independent fire district for The Villages. A dependent district does not require a referendum and the department would remain under county control.
Amenity fee reserves or increases for Villagers also could be a funding source for the VPSD since a portion of the fees now is allocated to the department.
Arnold reportedly is looking to fund transfers from elsewhere in the proposed 2023-24 county budget to aid the fire departments. The first of two public hearings on the budget, which takes effect Oct. 1, will be held Tuesday night.
Efforts to boost revenue for both departments could ease dire forecasts presented by both chiefs last month when commissioners voted down substantial fire fee increases.
Sumter County Fire Chief Rob Hanson said he would need to lay off 30 firefighters and nix plans to hire 27 more employees to overcome a $12 million hole in his $24.2-million budget. VPSD Fire Chief Brian Twiss said he would lose 57 new positions planned in his $34.5-million budget.
Last week, American Medical Response (AMR) announced it was pulling its staff and three ambulances from Sumter County due to the budget cuts. AMR, a national private company that provided ambulance service before the two fire departments took it over, will continue to lease four ambulances to Sumter County. The company had a three-year contract to aid the transition to a fully county-operated service.
The substantial fire fee hikes rejected last month were the result of a study that recommended assessing non-residential property on square footage, which business owners complained would raise their annual fees to $40,000 or more.