Voters to decide on Midway Fire levy
BY PAM BRANNON Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

Midway Fire District will place a proposal for a special fire assessment on the Jan. 29, 2008 ballot. But the vote to go with the referendum proposal was not unanimous among board members. Fire Commissioner and Treasurer Clyde Broome voted against the idea at the final public hearing on the issue last week.

"I just do not think it is the right time," he said. "With everything else taxpayers are dealing with, I don't think it is a good time to throw something el se at them." Broome said the district could make it one more year with the budget and income they now have. "We would need to do something then. We could not go beyond a year from now," Broome said. "But I would like to find another option, since with this proposal 84 percent of our residents will have a tax increase."

Midway Fire Commission chairman Jacque Gorris said, "In my opinion, it is up to the public. That is why we are taking it to a referendum."

There were only four residents at the public hearing. One man stood to ask if a proposed decrease in ad valorem tax was included in the referendum language. As the referendum language was being distributed to the audience, Gorris explained that nothing about ad valorem taxes was included in the referendum language because the attorneys drafting the proposal told the board the state did not allow the mention of ad valorem tax in the same proposal language with special assessments.

Fire Commissioner Joe McPherson said, "But every discussion we have ever had on this subject has been centered on reducing the amount of ad valorem we would levy if this special assessment passes. We have We have to keep some ad valorem tax coming in because the state will not allow us to fund any of the medical services or supplies with special assessment monies. We are allowed, from the last vote by the taxpayers, to levy 1.4 mills. We have been saying all along we would cut that ad valorem level to .65 mills if this referendum passes. You can listen to any of the tapes from our meetings, or check any of the minutes."

The residents at the meeting agreed it would be a "tougher sell" if nothing about reducing ad valorem was in the ballot language. One man said, "So it is up to you, after the election is over, whether you really do reduce ad valorem or not? We just have to trust you, right?"

Thackeray said a special assessment to fund fire services is the step in the right direction they need to take. "With a special assessment like this one, we will be spreading the cost of our services out evenly among all the residents. So instead of four people sitting on the same street all paying a different amount for fire protection, like they do now, they will all pay the same amount. We cannot wait another year to see where ad valorem taxes are going to go. I just don't see that we have the luxury any more of having ad valorem taxes or impact fees fund a fire department." Ballot Language:

"Shall Midway Fire District levy an annual non-ad valorem assessment beginning with fiscal year 2008-09 to fund fire protection services and facilities at rates of $224 per dwelling unit for residential property, and $0.38 per square foot for commercial property, and $0.07 per square foot for industrial /warehouse property, and $0.42 per square foot for institutional property with future increases limited to the annual growth rate in Florida personal income for the previous 5 years?