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BK:00028 PG. -0264 <br />For the fiscal year 2016 - 2017, the budget increases the Fire Advisory Board saw <br />resulted mainly from cost of operations, a cost of living increase for personnel, and the <br />need to upgrade or replace equipment. Of the seven volunteer fire departments in the <br />county, there are five departments where the fire tax rate will remain the same for fiscal <br />year 2016 - 2017. Two of these departments, Deep River Fire Department and Northview <br />Fire Department, made voluntary cuts to their budget request in order to prevent an <br />increase in the fire tax rate for 2016 - 2017. There are two fire departments, Carolina <br />Trace Fire Department and Northwest Pocket Fire Department, which will see an <br />increase in the fire tax rate for fiscal year 2016 - 2017. We will address this in more detail <br />in the specific department's request and recommendation. <br />Attached to this cover letter is a spreadsheet entitled "Lee County Fire Departments FY <br />2016/2017 Budget Worksheet" which shows each department's information as respect to <br />the fiscal year 2016 - 2017. The budget recommendations from the Fire Advisory Board <br />are based on the information contained within the spreadsheet along with our discussions <br />with the individual fire department. The spreadsheet also shows the projected fund <br />balance used, the collection rate, and the tax base for each of the fire districts. The budget <br />request includes the cost to fund the Lee County Fire Marshal's Office. <br />The following is a brief highlight of the budget request and the recommendation from the <br />Fire Advisory Board. <br />Cape Fear Fire Department — Station 5 <br />Cape Fear Fire Department's budget request increased by $5,800 in funding over the <br />current year. The most significant increases in their budget request was for personnel, <br />replacing computer equipment, fleet maintenance, and radio replacement. The department <br />is scheduled for inspection by the N C State Fire Marshal's Office later this summer. In <br />discussions with Chief Billings, the department has been working hard in an effort to <br />lower their protection class rating from 7/9 to 5/9. If they are successful, this will save the <br />property owners on their insurance premiums. The fire district's tax base increased about <br />$12,445,700 from the current year. The increase in the tax base is more than enough to <br />offset the $5,800 increase in funding request. The projected fire tax rate for Cape Fear <br />Fire District in fiscal year 2016 - 2017 will remain at the current rate of $0.10. The Fire <br />Advisory Board recommends the budget request from Cape Fear Fire Dept as presented. <br />Carolina Trace Fire Department — Station 8 <br />Carolina Trace Fire Department's budget request reflects a $26,473 increase in funding. <br />The majority of the increase is in personnel, property and casua�urance, and grant <br />match. The department has recently gone through some personnel changes and has made <br />some changes in position classifications and pay scales. The cost of insurance for the <br />2 <br />