We thought plans for a fire assessment fee died years ago, but the Alachua County Commission is pulling out the Jaws of Life to try and make its recent version of this terrible idea a reality.
Unlike property taxes, which are calculated based on the assessed value of a building, the proposed assessment is a “per-dwelling” fee – a catchall that would include apartments – calculated based on the size of a building and whether it’s in an urban or rural area.
Homeowners living in unincorporated Alachua County could end up paying more than $200 a year for the fee, regardless of the value of their homes. This would decrease taxes on high-value homes while increasing them for lower-value homes.For such a progressive county, it sounds like a regressive tax.
The county says the assessment would raise about $8 million every year, but it is unlikely that fire services would see a budget increase. When the city considered a $30-per-house fire assessment fee in 2008, it was clear it was just trying to free up general fund money for Gainesville Police Department.
If we knew this money would ensure firefighters would get the best equipment and training then we might grin and bear it, but we don’t think this is the case. We understand it costs money to put out fires, and the last thing we want to see is underfunded first responders. But this assessment sticks the bill with the wrong people, and we want to see it go up in smoke.
