Agenda Package - 06-15-09 - Laserfiche WebLink

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039 The department's call volume continues to be among the highest. The Fire Advisory Board feels the leadership of Lemon Springs continue to work hard to achieve higher standards of service to the community. The Fire Advisory Board recommends the full funding of Lemon Springs Fire Department. The full funding of the budget even with the loss of tax base would result in a tax rate of $0.089, which is a mere $0.006 increase. Carolina Trace Fire Department Station 8 The budget request from Carolina Trace reflects a 4% decrease in funding. The district's tax base like many others saw a $5.1 million loss. This loss was offset by the department's hard work to reduce funding needs. The end result is actually a small decrease in the tax rate. The Fire Advisory Board recommends the budget request of Carolina Trace Fire Department. Northwest Pocket Fire Department Station 9 Northwest Pocket's budget shows a decrease of $231 over current year. "file funding of additional personnel has allowed the department the ability to improve response time and minimize risk to firefighters- The district's tax base shrunk $6.7 million. "['his loss of tax base places significant pressure on the department and Fire Advisory Board in their • efforts to minimize increases in the tax rate. This loss of tax base is beyond the control of the department. The need to provide adequate protection still takes priority. The Fire Advisory Board is recommending the approval of Norihwest Pocket's budget request The tax rate would increase from $0.118 to $0.125. In meeting with each department, we verified that each has had or has scheduled a public hearing. With the departments that have already had their public hearing, the trend is that the community is pleased with the service they provide and are comfortable with the cost to adequately fund these departments. As with the past budgets, the Fire Advisory Board continues to struggle with the needs of the departments versus the cost to the tax payers. In current economy, this dilemma is even more prevalent. To operate the eight volunteer fire departments and provide the level of service expected, there is significant cost. Unfortunately, most folks are unaware of what goes into providing this level of service. As has been stressed over and over, we are very fortunate in Lce County to have men and women who are willing to volunteer their time to serve their communities- There is a lot of time and work that goes into being prepared when someone dials 911. With the projected growth in Lee County of population, which in turn will result in a growth of property, the volunteer fire departments are working diligently to be able to meet the demands. We are fortunate that, the eight volunteer tire departments work closely with one another and the Fire Marshals Office to continue to improve the level of fire protection provided. 0