Ralph Hemingway

Lehigh Fire Board Commissioner Ralph Hemingway again has made a motion before the board to use the ballot in November to raise money to help the financially strapped Lehigh Acres Fire Dept. It would be through small assessment fees on every parcel in Lehigh.

He suggested at the regular scheduled meeting of the board of commissioners on May 19 that a fee between $35 and/or $50 be levied on each parcel of land in Lehigh to raise money.

Hemingway, who announced in April that he was not going to seek reelection this year on the fire board, compared the financial condition of the fire district like “it was being bitten by a snake or a Boa Constrictor.”

“We need to consider a fee of $35 or $50 to bring in money to this fire district if we are going to survive. We can make it go for two years if the voters agree and then we can do a review. We will know more about the SAFER grant possibility and how the economy is … this is my suggestion,” Hemingway said.

Only three of the five-member board were present at the meeting. Joel Guzman, who resigned from the board several months ago was not replaced by the board and that seat won’t be filled until the Nov. 2 election. Commissioner Julie Barrett, who is also not going to seek reelection, was not present.

Hemingway made a motion that the district’s attorney come up with a resolution to put his suggestion on the ballot in November.

He said it would give the community time to listen to discussions and the need for the assessments.

The other two commissioners didn’t enter into the discussion, letting Hemingway do all the talking for about 15 minutes about raising money.

The $35 or $50 fee would be in addition to the already 3 mils that taxpayers pay each year.

Some months ago, Hemingway had suggested a similar resolution to put an assessment of $100 per parcel on the ballot, but it failed for a second. At that time there was also no second on the motion.

While Hemingway was explaining his reasoning, he cited the poor economy and noted that on June 1, preliminary figures about the evaluation of housing in the county will be released by the county. It is not expected to be good news.

Fort Myers Beach is having a special election and so is Iona McGregor fire districts to raise assessments to help them get additional funds, Hemingway said.

Both Chairman Jeff Berndt and Commissioner David Adams, listened but offered no suggestions. Both had glum faces while Hemmingway made his pitch for a special assessment.

When he was through, Berndt said there was a motion on the floor and was their a second. Neither Berndt or Adams offered a second.

“Not hearing any, the motion is dead,” Berndt said.

Earlier in the meeting Fire Chief Don Adams, no relationship to Commissioner David Adams, said no word has arrived about a SAFER grant that the department had applied for several months ago.

But Adams said he had talked to someone who would announce the grants and said she told him an announcement could be made by June 1 and then every few weeks as to whom the recipients would be.

The chief and the board of commissioners would like to use the grant money to rehire 35 firefighters if the grant comes through to Lehigh.

When asked how much money was left in the SAFER coffers, Adams said he thought about $100 million was still available to be given away.

Around 35 firefighters were laid off last August and the new fire station on Milwaukee Blvd. was shut down. Since then, the chief has complained that he doesn’t have enough personnel with the brush fire season approaching.

In the past few months, he board has not agreed to allow the county EMS to take over Lehigh ambulances so local fire fighting personnel could man the fire trucks only. Lehigh taxpayers pay for county EMS services anyway.