Marion County Fire Rescue officials are proposing a raise to the annual fire assessment fee. The proposal would raise the fire assessment fee from $199.91 to $283.97 per dwelling, for a difference of about $84. The money helps fund fire prevention, firefighter training, medical services, and public safety education programs.
โWe provide a lot of information to our consultant, and we look a the next five years, and what personnel costs are going to be, what operational costs, and those types of things, and make some projections, and we try to come up with a rate that will sustain us for the next five years,โ Marion County Fire Rescue Chief James Banta shared. โThe average revenue over the next 5 years would be about $54 million. And the fire assessment can only fund protection of property, so the fire response component of Marion County Fire Rescue will go to our firefighters responding on fire engines, operational costs, gear,โ Banta stated.
Regarding actually bringing the proposal up to the board of commissioners, Banta says, โThe board can approve the recommended rate Iโve brought to the board to sustain us for the next 5 years. They could approve a reduced rate for the first year, they could look at doing rates that start lower and move up every year. In history, the board has decided to do this in 5-year increments.โ
The Solid Waste Department is also proposing an increase to the solid waste residential assessment fee from $87 to $215. This fund ensures proper landfill management and environmental protection, waste and recycling services, and long-term capacity for the growing community. Their meeting is scheduled for September 10.
