Lehigh Fire and Rescue Commissioner Ralph Hemingway voted along with two union members on the board of the fire panel Aug. 6 to keep a resolution alive that the board passed last month to ask the voters of Lehigh to pay a $100 a parcel special assessment fee to bring money in to the ailing fire district which is facing layoffs and possible closing of stations.

A motion was made midway through the special meeting held at the East Lee County Regional Library’s meeting room where around 75 people attended, by Commissioner David Adams to cancel the resolution.

He said many people had talked to him and said because of the economic situation in Lehigh, they were not willing to pay an extra $100 a parcel to bail out the fire department. The $100 fee would be in addition to the 3 mils the board voted for last month, after learning that property valuation in Lehigh had declined 49 percent, meaning less revenue for the fire district.

Commissioner Julie Barrett seconded Adams’ motion and the crowd at the library applauded loudly.

But when the commissioners voted, Commissioners Joel Guzman, Jeff Berndt, and Hemingway voted to keep the resolution alive to ask for a special election. A smaller group of people cheered. They appeared to be employees of the Lehigh Acres Fire Dept.

Several people told commissioners they were against the special assessment tax which even if passed in an election in December, the money would not be available to balance this year’s budget which must be struck by the end of September. Several people told the commissioners and the chief to do their job and work with the money they have.

Several people complained that the information with the number is not even up on the fire district’s website. Berndt promised it would be put up on the Internet site.

Harold Doidge told commissioners he owned five parcels and that he could not afford to pay $500 in extra tax, in addition to school taxes and other taxes.

“I’m not paying you the $500 in extra tax, not until Hell freezes over,” he said.

Adams, who made the motion to forego to the special election to tax 128,000 parcels in Lehigh $100 said he had not had one person tell him they would vote for the tax.

Following the meeting, the board went into executive discussion to begin deliberations with union personnel.

At the beginning of the meeting, Chief Don Adams gave a Power Point presentation showing the dilemma the fire department finds itself in because of the shortfall of expected funds to balance the budget.

Also during the meeting, Hemingway found fault with the Blue Ribbon Committee which offered a budget to the fire district which would call for 17 layoffs instead of 37 as the chief has insisted.

Hemingway said they gave the members of the commission booklets giving details on their budget after the Power Point presentation.

“I’ve been quoted as saying I called them ‘yellow’ and I did for not being here so we could ask questions. But at that meeting, the board didn’t ask any questions and the chairman of the blue ribbon panel was at the meeting after other members left.

“I was in the back of the auditorium of the school the whole time for the whole meeting,” Rick Anglickis later told The Citizen. “They didn’t ask any questions.”

Richard Pringle said he had talked with Sharon Harrington, the Lee County Supervisor of Elections, and she had given him figures ranging from $102,000 to $170,000 for the cost of the special election. He said Harrington told him it would likely be more expensive to hold a “Mail In Ballot” and that such elections are usually only held for a smaller group of voters. There are 34,000 registered voters in Lehigh. The other alternative would be to open up the precincts and train workers.

Pringle said the election could be held on other dates to coincide with elections in Fort Myers and that would cost the fire district less money.

But he reminded them that even if the measure passed, the money would not be available for this year’s budget. The upcoming budget must by Florida law by finalized by the end of September.

Pringle also told commission members that they could in the future again vote to rescind or keep the special assessment election.

“You’re not locked it,” he said.

The next meeting is Aug. 18 and again on Aug. 27.