Exemptions will not change with assessment fee

By Staff | Oct 8, 2014

John Wayne

The Lehigh Acres Fire Board spent about an hour discussing exemptions that will take place if voters adopt an assessment fee in November in place of ad valorem taxes to finance the fire district and today, the word is being spread about the community that the same exemptions and possibly more will be accepted if the referendum vote passes.

Chief John Wayne said at the last meeting of the board on Sept. 30 that he had sent out letters to all the pastors in Lehigh informing them that their exemptions would remain as they are now under the current ad valorem tax which supports the fire department and EMS.

The proposed assessment fee would put an assessment of $292 on residential homes and other fees on other properties. Without the assessment fee, officials at the fire district say two stations will have to be shut down and firefighters laid off and response time will be affected in emergencies.

Richard Pringle, the board’s attorney, presented a resolution that he had prepared for the board to consider which included all of the present exemptions and it was accepted and passed by the five-member board.

However, Pringle said the board may not under law say officially which exemptions will be accepted once the assessment law takes effect, if passed. And if voters do pass the referendum, the fee would not begin until next year’s budget year of 2015-2016.

Presently, the fee for the 2014-2015 remains the same – 3 mills – which means $1,000 of property appraisal.

But charitable groups, disabled veterans and churches are among those that will be exempt from the fire fee assessment fee if passed by the voters.

During the meeting, Commissioner Linda Carter, spent considerable time discussing and holding up sheets of paper showing exemptions used by the county and said they should all be included in a list of exemptions from the assessment fee.

But Commission President Larry Becker reminded Carter that under the law, the commissioners cannot announce and make it official which exemptions will be taken.

“That is something we can take up after if the assessments referendum passes,” he said.

But Becker noted that the board agreed that the exemptions due the people will be given, but an official vote cannot be taken until the assessment fee is voted upon.

Becker said he agreed that those who deserve exemptions will get them.

Attorney Pringle said that the board could even take up individual cases that seek exemptions such as those who are disabled and other reasons.

Chief John Wayne began the meeting before a group of about 25 people with a presentation of what the assessment fee is all about.

He had provided the same information earlier in the day at the Greater Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce luncheon meeting. He also has spoken before other groups and the board’s hired public relations firm said a community forum for everyone in Lehigh will be announced before the Nov. 4 election.

“We’ll let everyone know that date and location,” said Trish Leonard following the meeting. She is the person who is leading the effort with the fire chief and fire board in informing voters as to what the assessment fee will mean to Lehigh residents.

Cathy Kruse, a member of the board of commissioners, made an emotional presentation toward the end of the meeting, saying that a few years ago she had been in the audience and was active in keeping up with its activities. She said the department is a good one with great firefighters and EMTs and hoped the voters would do the right thing.

The board has acknowledged in the past that in a few years it could go broke if the funding of the department is not changed.

In Lehigh, the East County Water Control District, is funded through an assessment fee, not unlike what the fire department is seeking.

A budget of $22,269,372 was accepted and passed just after 5 p.m., as the law requires. It is being funded by ad valorem taxes and officials say they may have to dig deep into the reserves to make the budget work.

The department has survived for the few years during the Great Recession mainly due to two SAFER grants from the federal government which have paid a portion of the firefighters’ their salaries.

Chief Wayne said money still in the account will likely continue the employment of at least half of the 108 firefighters until March of next year. He said the department is again applying for another SAFER grant, which would be the third, but he doesn’t hold out a lot of hope that the Lehigh Fire Dept. will get another.

If the assessment fee is rejected by the voters, Wayne and the board say two fire stations will have to be shut down. Chief Wayne says equipment is old and needs replacing and that firefighters and other employees have given concessions over the past few years to help reduce the expenses of the department.

Rumors in Lehigh have spread that churches and other organizations would not be exempted from the fire fee.

Wayne completely refuted those rumors and said the board would continue to make the same exemptions and more if needed, but that action must wait until after the assessment fee has been accepted.

Wayne had written in the letters to the pastors in Lehigh their current exemption status with Lee County and stating the district’s intent to continue honoring exemptions.

Chairman Becker noted that it was the board’s intent when it started the process. “We’re just going to put some teeth into what we’ve been saying,” by the passage of the resolution that the board intended to retain the same exemptions.

In that resolution those exemptions included charitable, religious, scientific or literary property exemptions, plus exemptions for permanently and totally disabled veterans and surviving spouses, exemption for surviving spouses of first responders who die in the line of duty, exemption for disabled veterans confined to wheelchairs, exemption for totally and permanently disabled persons (non-veteran) and exemptions for deployed service members.

The resolution also states:

“To the extend authorized by law, and as may be agreed to by the Lee County Property Appraiser, it is the Board’s decision that in all exemptions cases, property owners of exempt parcels will continue apply to the Lee county Property Appraiser for exemption approval from the Special Assessment using the same procedures that are currently being used for ad valorem tax exemption approvals.”

Currently, there are 978 parcels wholly exempt by the Lee County Property Appraiser in Lehigh Acres, including disabled veterans and surviving spouses, religious properties, charitable services, fraternal and benevolent organizations, orphanages, educational properties and local government agencies.”

“Other exemptions may be added at the board’s discretion, if the fire fee assessment is passed,” according to Richard Pringle, the board’s attorney.

Chairman Becker reminded the group to call the fire department and meet with the chief if there are still unanswered questions.

But if the assessment fee is rejected, response time is likely to increase to a fire in Lehigh and outside fire departments may have to be called and response times for an ambulance calls will increase because the two ambulances in Lehigh will be handed over the county’s ambulance service, which sends ambulances to sites all over the county, according to the fire chief.

There is also a pamphlet being distributed throughout the community called “Get the Facts Lehigh.”

Those who plan to vote on the referendum may also go online at: www.GetTheFactsLehigh.com for more information.

Exemptions will not change with assessment fee

By Staff | Oct 8, 2014