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Voters reject NFM fire assessment

3 min read

It’s back to the drawing board for the North Fort Myers Fire District after it became the second in the area to have its proposed fire assessment rejected by voters.

Of the more than 8,000 voters who cast ballots during Tuesday’s primary election, 63.78 percent voted against the assessment that would have charged homeowners, many of whom live in manufactured homes and trailers and on fixed and/or low incomes, a flat fee of $215 and done away with the property tax for the same service.

This means the fire district will continue to charge up to a cap of 2.5 mills, or $2.50 per $1,000 of the assessed value of the property. A home assessed at $86,000 would pay $215 in taxes.

“We were disappointed, but we knew it would be a hard sell to go to the public with. It would have been an increase for some,” Fire Chief Larry Noble said. “As a chief, I have to look at means to generate revenue. We took it to the public.”

Noble said during the recession, revenues dropped 47 percent and the district was forced to use its reserves and cut back to fund services.

The district based its fee using historic data and found 82 percent of the calls came from residential properties. An original $249 fee proposal was brought down to $215.

Among the criticisms of the plan was that it didn’t charge owners of vacant properties and that it would sharply increase the rates of those who live in manufactured homes. Of the 21,000 homeowners in the district, 16,000 are mobile homes.

Noble also said the referendum wording may have made it seem like they would keep the millage, meaning double taxation. He said the language was hard to understand.

With the defeat, Noble has to consider his next move. He said it wouldn’t involve layoffs.

“We may be reducing some of the services we provide and we’ll have to take a hard look at it because we’re forced to go into reserves again,” Noble said. “They’re not going to last forever.”

As far as how to raise funds, Noble may have to look at raising the millage rate.

In June, the Bayshore Fire District had its proposed fire assessment defeated by a nearly 3 to 1 margin. Bayshore would have charged $587.78 per dwelling in lieu the ad valorem taxes.

Not everyone who went to the polls Tuesday were against the measure. Deb Klingensmith left the polls at Buccaneer Estates saying she was for it.

“I think it’s fair for everyone to pay for the use of the fire department. Many of them aren’t paying,” Klingensmith said.

Laurie Clifford agreed that it was the right thing to do. Her son, Dakota, 18, who was voting for the first time, did not agree after doing his research.

“I saw information on it on the Internet and I didn’t want to support that,” Dakota said.

Dakota’s side won, and for Noble, it’s time to make some tough choices.

“We’ll move forward. We still have a job to do to provide a service to the public and we’ll look to do it the best way we can,” Noble said.