Midway Fire Commission defends budget
BY PAM BRANNON Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

Some residents who showed up at last week's Midway Fire District meeting said they were outraged at what they thought was a hefty tax increase by the district for the next budget year beginning Oct.1. Midway Fire Treasurer Clyde Broome immediately assured the residents in attendance that first, Midway is not raising their taxes and not getting a lot more money next year, and secondly, he was not happy with the impression the state-worded and state-mandated budget ad left with taxpayers.

"If I was reading that, I might think at first glance that we were raising taxes and getting a bunch more money for next year, the way it is worded. But it just isn't true."

One resident, for example, said he was there because he had read that ad and thought with all the other state agencies cutting taxes, he was left with the impression that Midway was taking an opposite route and raising taxes. He wanted to know why.

Broome said the state sends them an ad to 'fill in" which says the "tax increase" for the next year's budget is a certain amount. He said one fire district treasurer was so upset about the ad a few years ago, that when they placed the state mandated ad, the district also purchased an ad right next to it with an arrow saying "That ad is a lie" and explained to people how the fire district was not raising taxes.

"After that, the state now says we have to tear out the entire page and send it, so no one can do that again," he explained.

"I try to explain to everyone, we don't place a tax increase on our residents. We cannot raise their taxes without a vote of the people. The property appraisers in the state place property value increases or decreases, and then we might get more money based on the 1.4 mills we levy each year. But this year, in Santa Rosa County, the property appraiser actually made a cut in property values countywide, so our actual increase in collection of ad valorem taxes will be only about 2.9 percent," Broome explained. "But our costs go up each year about 6.2 percent, due to fixed costs like insurance."

"Then this year we had a very large hit from fuel costs," he said. "Fire trucks and medical rescue trucks have to have fuel in them in case of a call, and fuel costs really hurt us. So with a property appraisal increase in our area of only 2.9 percent, and costs going up by double that amount, you can see why we are in trouble with our budget next year. Because for the past 12 years our average yearly increase in property values was over 9 percent each year - some years, like after Ivan, it was much more. That is what our budget was based on. So for next year we are holding the line and making no large capital purchases or new programs."

The Midway Fire District budget for next year is $2,797,542. Of that, the largest expense is listed as Total Labor Costs of $1,748,014. They employ 24 firefighters who are tri-level trained. That means as well as being firefighters, to work at Midway they must also be trained as either Emergency Medical Techs (EMTs) or paramedics, and as Hazardous Material technicians (Haz-Mat). Then there is the Fire Chief and the office staff. The labor costs include salaries, life and health insurance, workman's compensation, overtime pay of $24,767 for the year, special pay for reserve firefighters of $20,000, among other costs.

"We have higher insurance and workman's comp costs than some places, because firefighting and first response medical teams are always high risk insurance costs," Broome explained.

Of the remaining $1 million in the budget, the Total Operating Expenses add up to $565,569. A contingency fund of $248,868 is added to that in the expense column.

In the operating expenses, the largest is a new $57,729 fee from the property appraiser for his services that has never been charged to Midway until this year.

"Everyone is getting hit by the cuts at the state level," Broome explained. "So for the first time ever the property appraiser sent us a bill of almost $58,000 we suddenly had to pay this year, and we have budgeted it into next year's expenses."

Other operating expenses included $51,300 for insurance, on buildings, vehicles, and equipment; $40,000 for vehicle repairs; $30,000 for medical supplies; paying the state mandated medical director $30,000; uniforms and fire fighting turnout gear add up to $30,000 and firefighting training is $13,000. Those are the most major expenses listed. Utilities on the two fire stations and office complex added up to over $47,000 for the year.

Midway also has some expense in loans on fire stations. The annual principal cost of paying for the loan on station one is $70,559 and on station two the annual principal on the loan cost is $90,000. Then there is the interest on the loans, which adds up to a cost of $99, 323 on station one's loan and $15,000 on station two. Their loan payment for their generator, to keep things rolling in case of power outages, is an annual cost of just over $25,000.

The budget cuts for next year include laying off two firefighters at the end of this year, not purchasing a truck that had been in the capital purchases plan, not giving the 5 percent step raise usually given to all employees next year, and not making any new large purchases or expenditures.

"We are just trying to hold the line in the budget for next year, and try to make it through the year, " Broome said. "We hope we don't get hit by another hurricane, or another deep cut from the state. Then we will be in real trouble."