Crime & Safety

Fire Fee Idea Ditched

Should the city have looked closely at creating the new fee fore services?

A proposal to craft a new fee to pay for fire protection services in New Port Richey got the cold shoulder from city council members for the second time Oct. 1.

The City Council voted 4-1 table the idea of paying to create the draft for the special assessment.  The assessment could be levied against property parcels in the city to collect funds for fire services.

The process of drafting he fee could have cost the city roughly $60,000 in consultant and legal fees. Even after the fee was drafted, it would still need to be approved by the council in a separate vote .

“I think it’s almost obscene for us to be thinking about this now,” Councilwoman Judy DeBella Thomas said.

The city council first thought of creating a fire fee this past May, but they doused the idea shortly after it was proposed.

Then, issues with the New Port Richey Fire Rescue department’s aging equipment came to light. In July, the  council learned the fire department only had one engine in working condition. The other department trucks were in the shop for repairs.  

City leaders agreed to pledge $400,000 for a new truck for the department. The city had the money for that.

But the discussion reignited the idea of creating a fire fee.

After a presentation by consultants who would create the fee, city council members expressed concern about  residents raising opposition to what could be perceived as a new tax. Officials didn’t propose a specific fee amount.

They didn’t have long to wait. New Port Richey resident Carl Morahan stood before the council and laid bare his thoughts.

“It’s a tax, plain and simple,” he said. “…I don’t think we need anymore taxes.”  

Deputy Mayor Bill Phillips was the lone vote against tabling the fee.  He stressed that creating the framework for the fee didn’t necessarily mean the city could adopt the fee. He asserted that there were benefits to the fee. For instance, it could be levied on parcels owned by tax-exempt entities.

“I’m paying the taxes for their services” right now, he said.



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