Public Hearing on Midway Fire District tax proposal is Tuesday

Got questions about Midway Fire District's proposal for fire assessment fees going on the ballot Jan. 29? The best time to get all the answers to all your questions or concerns would be at the public hearing scheduled for Dec. 11 at 6 p.m.

Fire commissioners set the hearing date at their meeting last week. It will be held one hour before their regular monthly meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. that same evening.

The public hearing is to explain and answer any questions concerning the ballot proposal. It will be held in the main fire station on College Blvd.

The referendum issue proposes using a flat fee system for fire assessments on properties within the district, with different fees for businesses than residences. Commissioners promise that if it passes, they would cut back on use of ad valorem property taxes to fund the department. Florida law says no emergency medical services can be funded by special assessment, so those expenses will still be funded by property tax. But instead of the district using 1.4 mills, commissioners said they plan to cut back to .65 mills for those medical services.

The assessment fees in the ballot proposal would cover all expenses and capital outlay through the 2011-12 budget years.