Lehigh Fire Board adopts new budget
Hollis Creach told the fire department that he objected to the Dept. of Florestry burning so much of Lehigh brush areas.
The Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue Department passed a $25.3 million budget and voted to keep the millage rate at 3 mills, or $3 per $1,000 of property evaluation at a final budget meeting and hearing on Sept. 21.
And a Lehigh man told the board he thought the Forestry Department was trying to burn Lehigh down.
The actual budget is $25,266,146 and reflects $3,086,369 in SAFER grant money that the department was awarded to rehire around 17 firefighters who had been laid off in August of 2009. The grant is for two years. The budget also anticipates a little more than $7 million in ad valorem taxes to be collected and a little more than $1 million in ambulance transport fees.
The board held its regular monthly meeting at 4 p.m. at the Microtel Inn and adjourned shortly before 5:30 p.m. Then it reconvened for the final budget hearing and vote to approve the budget and establish the millage rate. Nothing could be discussed at the second meeting but the budget, board attorney Richard Pringle said.
Only five people showed up at the hearing and two of them were candidates who are running for two seats on the board. Cathy Kruse and Kevin Shea spoke several minutes during public comment periods of both meetings regarding the budget that begins Oct. 1 and continues until Sept. 30, 2011.
Of the four members on the board, the final vote for the approval of both the millage rate and the new budget was 3 to 1.
Commissioner Ralph Hemingway voted against both the millage rate and the budget. The other three commissioners, David Adams, Chairman Jeff Berndt and Julie Barrett voted for the new rates and budget.
Hemingway argued that the budget could have been cut more and reiterated the fact that he had twice urged his fellow commissioners to come up with an assessment fee, in addition to ad valorem taxes, on land owners to help raise money for the department.
Berndt, the chairman of the fire board, allowed Hemingway around 20 minutes before he called for a vote. Before commissioners voted, Berndt admonished Hemingway saying he was surprised that Hemingway had waited this long, the final hearing day of the budget to bring up budget cuts.
Berndt noted that there had been cuts made in the budget and that the unions had taken cuts in salaries.
Commissioner David Adams called the budget and the fire board’s future “a perfect storm.” Commissioner Julia Barrett urged Hemingway to show her where the budget could be cut further.
“I am looking over the next two years and we should do something before we go over the damn,” Hemingway said.
Hemingway will vacate his seat at the next meeting in October because a new member will be chosen in the Nov. 2 election to fill his Seat 5. Two other seats will be also be filled, the one being vacated by Julia Barrett and the one vacated by Joel Guzman earlier this year. Guzman’s seat was left vacant because the board did not vote to fill the position.
During the regular meeting held at 4 p.m., Hollis Creach of Lehigh asked Fire Chief Don Adams and the board to help him “to keep Lehigh from burning down.”
The commissioners and the chief seem surprised at Creach’s comments.
Creach noted that the Dept. of Forestry was burning too much of Lehigh leaving the habitat ruined for the gopher tortoise, rabbits and other small animals.
“They’re burning down the pines and the palmettos,” he said, and urged Chief Don Adams to do something to stop the burning.
Creach was referring to the regular burning in the county every year of brush to remove dry vegetation as the season changes. Such controlled burnings help to prevent wildfires from spreading if there are fires.
The chief told Creach that the Forestry Department performs the controlled burnings and that the local fire department provides a tanker to mainly protect nearby structures from being burned if the blaze gets out of control.
The board also authorized a new calendar of meeting dates that continue through September of next year. Most meetings will be held at the Microtel Inn’s large conference room at 4 p.m. on selected dates, which are published in The Citizen.
Lehigh Fire Board adopts new budget
Hollis Creach told the fire department that he objected to the Dept. of Florestry burning so much of Lehigh brush areas.
The Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue Department passed a $25.3 million budget and voted to keep the millage rate at 3 mills, or $3 per $1,000 of property evaluation at a final budget meeting and hearing on Sept. 21.
And a Lehigh man told the board he thought the Forestry Department was trying to burn Lehigh down.
The actual budget is $25,266,146 and reflects $3,086,369 in SAFER grant money that the department was awarded to rehire around 17 firefighters who had been laid off in August of 2009. The grant is for two years. The budget also anticipates a little more than $7 million in ad valorem taxes to be collected and a little more than $1 million in ambulance transport fees.
The board held its regular monthly meeting at 4 p.m. at the Microtel Inn and adjourned shortly before 5:30 p.m. Then it reconvened for the final budget hearing and vote to approve the budget and establish the millage rate. Nothing could be discussed at the second meeting but the budget, board attorney Richard Pringle said.
Only five people showed up at the hearing and two of them were candidates who are running for two seats on the board. Cathy Kruse and Kevin Shea spoke several minutes during public comment periods of both meetings regarding the budget that begins Oct. 1 and continues until Sept. 30, 2011.
Of the four members on the board, the final vote for the approval of both the millage rate and the new budget was 3 to 1.
Commissioner Ralph Hemingway voted against both the millage rate and the budget. The other three commissioners, David Adams, Chairman Jeff Berndt and Julie Barrett voted for the new rates and budget.
Hemingway argued that the budget could have been cut more and reiterated the fact that he had twice urged his fellow commissioners to come up with an assessment fee, in addition to ad valorem taxes, on land owners to help raise money for the department.
Berndt, the chairman of the fire board, allowed Hemingway around 20 minutes before he called for a vote. Before commissioners voted, Berndt admonished Hemingway saying he was surprised that Hemingway had waited this long, the final hearing day of the budget to bring up budget cuts.
Berndt noted that there had been cuts made in the budget and that the unions had taken cuts in salaries.
Commissioner David Adams called the budget and the fire board’s future “a perfect storm.” Commissioner Julia Barrett urged Hemingway to show her where the budget could be cut further.
“I am looking over the next two years and we should do something before we go over the damn,” Hemingway said.
Hemingway will vacate his seat at the next meeting in October because a new member will be chosen in the Nov. 2 election to fill his Seat 5. Two other seats will be also be filled, the one being vacated by Julia Barrett and the one vacated by Joel Guzman earlier this year. Guzman’s seat was left vacant because the board did not vote to fill the position.
During the regular meeting held at 4 p.m., Hollis Creach of Lehigh asked Fire Chief Don Adams and the board to help him “to keep Lehigh from burning down.”
The commissioners and the chief seem surprised at Creach’s comments.
Creach noted that the Dept. of Forestry was burning too much of Lehigh leaving the habitat ruined for the gopher tortoise, rabbits and other small animals.
“They’re burning down the pines and the palmettos,” he said, and urged Chief Don Adams to do something to stop the burning.
Creach was referring to the regular burning in the county every year of brush to remove dry vegetation as the season changes. Such controlled burnings help to prevent wildfires from spreading if there are fires.
The chief told Creach that the Forestry Department performs the controlled burnings and that the local fire department provides a tanker to mainly protect nearby structures from being burned if the blaze gets out of control.
The board also authorized a new calendar of meeting dates that continue through September of next year. Most meetings will be held at the Microtel Inn’s large conference room at 4 p.m. on selected dates, which are published in The Citizen.
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