Assessment concerns Bayshore residents
Andy Jamison, a resident at the Bay Point Yacht and Racquet Club, which is in the Bayshore Fire District, is concerned that the proposed fire assessment is not fairly distributed and could as much as triple the cost of fire service to some residents who likely can’t afford it.
Jamison, along with many other residents who live in homes below the district average, have made that same complaint about the assessment Fire Chief Larry Nesbit has said is crucial for the district to maintain its current level of service.
With the new assessment that will be voted on June 24, homes will be charged $587.78 annually, regardless of the value of the property.
Jamison, who currently pays about $298 for fire service through the ad valorem method based on an $85,000 assessment, said he has three main concerns about the new methodology.
“They are ignoring the value of the unit. Some in our unit are assessed at $55,000 and are paying less than $200,” Jamison said. “Just like me and just like someone with a home assessed at $250,000.”
The “break-even” point is about $168,000 in assessed value.
Other issues included what, exactly, the budget would be; what grants are “going away;” why and whether the fire district is behind the assessment and not the Board of County Commissioner; and why notices have not yet been received.
“The commissioners must be asking for it. I don’t know who’s pulling the chain,” Jamison said. “Are they benefitting from this?”
Nesbit said it comes down to money and level of service, that there is no other way the fire district can continue to provide the level of service that’s expected without it.
“The BOCC has nothing to do with this. We know we have properties that will face higher rates,” Nesbit said. “It’s the cost for us to provide fire service, that’s it. I wish it could be a win-win. If it was, we wouldn’t need it.”
Jamison said his 160-unit development contributes $45,000 per year to fire service. It the assessment passes, the number increases to $95,000, or a half-million over 10 years.
The department currently has an annual budget of $1.5 million, of which 67 percent is funded with property taxes (levied at $3.50 per $1,000 in taxable value), with the rest coming from grants and reserves. However, those grants will be running out in September.
Nesbit added, regardless of the kind or cost of the home, the department sends in two trucks and a tanker. The assessment also won’t fully fund everything, but it will allow the district to function without grants, much of what he is trying to recover are in personnel costs.
Commercial land would be assessed at 51 cents per square foot, institutional properties (churches, etc) at $1.26, and industrial warehouse at five cents.
Vacant and agricultural land will be assessed at $63.97 per acres, capped at 10 acres.
The Fire Commissioners board has set a town hall meeting for the fire assessment for Tuesday, May 27, at 7 p.m. at the fire station at 17350 Nalle Road.
“This is never an easy decision. You never want to talk about cost of service. It comes to $1.61 per day,” Nesbit said. “A can of Copenhagen is a week’s worth of fire protection.
Nesbit said maintaining the status quo method of taxation it would result in six full-time firefighters being laid off effective Sept. 14, with daily staffing at two firefighters per day.
Nesbit said this would mean he couldn’t send anyone into a burning building until more help arrived, which could mean more damage to the property and could result in higher insurance premiums for residents.