City commissioners decided not to adopt a proposed fire fee that would require property owners to help cover the cost of city fire services.
The fee was defeated in a four to three vote at a City Commission meeting Wednesday night.
Citizens cited nonprofit organizations potentially having to pay a fee as one reason for not adopting the fee, though City Attorney Marion Radson said churches and nonprofit organizations could legally be charged the fee because Florida law does not require tax exemptions for such entities.
Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan was one of the commissioners who voted against the fee, saying the public opposition to the fee was a big factor in her decision.
"We know the value that churches and nonprofits bring to the community," Hanrahan said. "We see it every day."
John Gillespie, pastor of St. Augustine Church, said just because it is legally permissible to include churches and nonprofits in the fee does not mean it is necessary. He said the reason churches have been exempt from taxes up to this point is because they provide services to the community that the city could not provide.
In addition to opposing the fee applying to churches and nonprofits, citizens did not agree with charging apartments the same rate as houses.
The fee was divided into four categories - residential, commercial, industrial and institutional. Residential property would be assessed $30 per dwelling unit, which means individual apartments and houses would pay the same rate.
The other categories would be charged different rates based on square footage of the property.
Phil Emmer, chairman of the Emmer Development Group, which owns Tivoli and Stoneridge Apartments, said it does not make sense for apartment complexes to be charged the same as homes when they are less susceptible to fires.
The City Commission is still considering adopting a variation of the assessment for the next fiscal year, Hanrahan said.
Paul Folkers, assistant city manager, said imposing such fees to offset the cost of fire services is nothing new and many municipalities within Florida already have them.
"It does provide a stable source of revenue to support a core city service," Folkers said.
