Kevin Shea

Once again the Lehigh Acres Fire Board on September 21 will have approved a final budget with a multimillion dollar deficit. When will the board faced reality?

The $7.2 million in property tax revenue will not cover salaries let alone anything else. They are making up the difference with a bailout from Washington. Money must grow on trees.

Mort Zuckerman, publisher of U.S. News & World Report, in a September 10 article said “These days, government employees are better off in almost every area: pay, benefits, time off, and security, on top of working fewer hours. They can thrive even in a down economy. It is tantamount to a wealth transfer from the citizens to the people who served in government. Millions of public workers have become a kind of privileged new class – a new elite, who live better than their private sector counterparts. Public servants have become the public’s masters. No wonder the public is upset.”

“More troubling still is the inherent political corruption. Elected officials tend to be accommodating when confronted by powerful constituencies like the public service unions that agitate for plush benefits.”

In this election one of the candidates has a son who works for the fire district. Another candidate is a firefighter from another district. It is only natural that they will look after their own self-interest and not the public interest. We need new board members who will put the taxpayer first.

At recent budget meetings the informational packets furnished to the public were not the same budget book that they repeatedly referred to at the meeting. The budget book has not been posted online. Is this open and transparent government, government in the sunshine? Only one member of the public appeared at the last meeting. They have prohibited public comment. Why are they so afraid of ideas and suggestions from the audience?

After they have delivered a patient to the hospital the vehicle is left running in the parking lot. They take a department truck to the grocery store and leave the vehicle running for more than 30 minutes. Is gas so cheap that it can be wasted?

The East County Water Control District has been searching for new office space as a replacement for their trailers. The large administrative offices at the new Sunshine Fire Station are empty. Why should the water district spend more than $1 million of our taxpayer money on an old building when for a very small charge they could occupy an already paid for government building?

Several fire districts in Lee County participate in the County health plan. The maximum cost is $1,460 for an employee with family. Cost savings to the Lehigh district could exceed $500,000 per year.

The fire tax is paid on every dollar of taxable assessed value on your property. There is no Homestead exemption. You pay the full tax.

Over the past several years I have repeatedly provided to the board analysis on the declining property valuations and the need to correct their overspending. Over the last 10 years they have more than doubled their pay and benefits. It appears that their solution is a massive tax increase.

A fundamental rethinking of the public sector is necessary. With a per capita income of $21,000 a year for Lehigh Acres and a poverty rate over 30 percent, a citizen revolt is long overdue.

Kevin Shea is a resident of Lehigh Acres and a candidates for Seat 5 on the fire board, replacing Ralph Hemingway who did not seek reelection. Ed.