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Commissioners: We couldn’t afford fire grant
INVERNESS — It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Citrus County commissioners were happy in September to apply for a $3.8 million federal grant to hire up to 39 career firefighters. Commissioners and County Administrator Brad Thorpe figured the grant would help the county achieve a goal stated at the time of staffing more fire stations full time.
Plus, officials admitted, there was little chance of actually getting the highly competitive grant. Priorities for the grant, from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, included communities to hire back laid-off firefighters. That wasn’t the case in Citrus County.
By the time the county learned earlier this year it had won the grant, officials began to have doubts.
And last Tuesday, commissioners formally killed the grant because of the fear that they wouldn’t have the money available to continue paying for the firefighters when the grant money went away.
“When you do the math, it’s not a frugal use of taxpayer dollars,” Commissioner Winn Webb said.
The grant had other flaws, officials said. While the actual amount would be $3 million for 30 firefighters, it didn’t include the cost of equipment or station upgrades. Commissioners recently staffed a new fire station with nine career firefighters.
It also required four-person engine crews in all stations. The county now staffs engine crews with three firefighters. To bring all the stations up to requirements of the grant, the extra firefighters would allow the opening of only one new station, which officials tentatively planned for Sugarmill Woods.
Plus, the grant required the county to keep the staffing levels intact for one year after the grant funding ended. Thorpe pegged that annual cost at $2 million.
Thorpe said it was clear the county tax base couldn’t afford to take on such a burden.
The county already is looking to increase the fire tax to pay for a $1.1 million shortfall in fire services, plus repay the general fund about $900,000 that was used the last two years to balance the fire budget.
Property Appraiser Geoff Greene is expecting a 5 percent drop in taxable property, as the economy continues to stagnate and the housing industry, in particular, remains stalled.
So if the county commission keeps the general fund tax rate the same, most property owners will see a drop in their total countywide tax bill even as they pay more for fire services, Greene said.
Chronicle reporter Mike Wright can be reached at (352) 563-3228 or mwright@chronicleonline.com.
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My taxes went from 700 to 5,000 in recent yrs. and we are broke
I paid for many years 700. for a similar size home and lot size in the 90's now I pay 5,000 for a home I built 5 years ago in the same neighborhood. Same size home mind you only newer. I own a rental house and went it increased from 300. to 2,900 3 years ago. OK, values have came down a few hudred per home in the last year and now we are broke. My question where did all the increases of previous years of taxes go???? Why did we get such big jumps in taxes that makes it difficult to live here now? After all this time and increases we are now broke. Someone has not been good stewards of our tax funds and giving the house away.
I think most of us citizens would sleep safer at night with the 39 full time fire fighters for 1 million to keep them after the grant runs out, instead of over buying a street to no where (Ottawa St. 2.5 million) in Citrus Hills. The priorities of our BOCC are definately in politically/wrong places.
WE CAN'T AFFORD DAWSY'S CONSOLIDATION EITHER
First of all, this federal grant was not to repair or fix up firehouses nor, was it intended to buy new equipment or fire engines. This grant was to aide and support the employment of new or out of work firefighters, period. No hard decision. Brad Thorpe, as usual, wanted to ignore this & LIE to residents to support his own agenda. Brad, as County Administrator, wants to fix up the firehouses & buy new equipment but, he wanted it for free from the federal govt. Brad thought that he would get away with this because he wasn't telling the whole truth, just like a crooked attorney. Now, Brad & the BOCC have agained dashed the hopes of professional career opportunities to young men & women of Citrus County. The BOCC, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, & THE CITRUS COUNTY CHRONICLE w/GERALD MULLIGAN & DAVID ARTHUR have, for years, prevented growth in business & industry in Citrus County in order to line their pockets with profits & ripping off taxpayers now they are all crying we are poor. Well, they are the ones to blame, they are the ones who have kept Citrus County as rural, poor, & provide us with economic destruction with their small business only policies. It just isn't working is it? You people wanted us to be rural & isolated from the rest of Florida, well you got your wish & now that you have been exposed to this kind of legislative garbage you've been selling YOU HAVE JEOPARDIZED EVERYONE in this county. People are getting sick of your backroom politics. We are tired of paying your overpaid salaries & financing your big houses. WE ARE DONE WITH ALL OF YOU! DAWSY, DEAN, MEEK, BAYS, THORPE, KITCHEN, WHEELER, & STRIFLER bye-bye!
This article was printed just in time for residents to think that we must go through with Dawsy's proposal or we would be without emergency services in Citrus County. See, the BOCC turns down the grant proposed by Brad Thorpe & then, pushes through the consolidation proposal by Dawsy on people being ignorant to what they are really doing. There are many highly intelligent people throughout Citrus County & I'm sure they can see through what the BOCC is doing. If we can't accept a grant for staffing of fire services then, we sure in hell CANNOT AFFORD DAWSY'S CONSOLIDATION because that is going to cost taxpayers more money than the grant would ever have. BOCC, Brad Thorpe, Sheriff Dawsy are all playing games with the help of our local media "The Chronicle", (if you want to call it that, I prefer "Comicle")& it is apparent what they all are trying to do.
Brealistic