Fire Levies Rejected: Pea Ridge Might Increase Rates
Last updated Wednesday, November 12, 2008 1:05 PM CST in News
By Caleb Fort
THE MORNING NEWS
Voters in Benton County rejected fire department levies for the Pea Ridge and Highfill fire departments.
The Pea Ridge fire chief said the department might have to raise dues to make up for the vote’s failure. The Highfill fire chief said the vote won’t have an impact on the department’s operation.
The levies would have been used to collect annual dues from county residents in the fire departments’ service area. Those dues are now voluntary, collected by each department.
If the levies had passed, the county would have collected the dues the same way it collects property taxes.
Pea Ridge provides service to about 1,500 county residents around the town. About 330 paid fire dues this year, said Chief Frank Rizzio.
County residents are expected to pay $25 per year in fire dues. City residents pay $24 per year as part of their water bill.
The failed levy would have charged county residents $50 per year.
The lack of fire dues means the department has had to use its capital improvement budget to pay for daytime staffing, Rizzio said. Since 2007, that action has eaten away more than $30,000 of the department’s $60,000 capital budget, he said.
The city has had to delay its equipment replacement schedule, and has not been able to build substations in remote parts of its service area, Rizzio said.
Now the department can either get rid of its daytime staff or raise dues for city residents. Rizzio said he plans to present several options to the city council, including rate increases of $12 to $24 per year.
County residents don’t get a free ride by not paying dues. The fire department can charge them for services, with a base rate of $200 plus hourly rates for equipment and firefighters.
“It definitely behooves them to pay the fees,” Rizzio said. “People roll the dice when they don’t pay. Nobody plans on their house burning down.”
But Rizzio said he can only remember a few times in several years when the department has charged for service. Usually, firefighters remind fire victims to pay their dues.
If avoiding hefty fees isn’t enough incentive, Rizzio also said that more water sources and substations would lower house insurance rates.
Highfill Fire Chief Jeremy Jackson said the failure of his department’s levy will not affect the department’s operations.
The department was trying to move responsibility for dues collection to the county, but was not trying to collect dues from more people or to raise dues, he said.
“At the end of the day, I think people just thought we were trying to raise their taxes,” he said. “We weren’t. I don’t really understand why it didn’t pass.”
At least six other volunteer fire departments already collect dues through the county or will beginning in 2009, said Mary Lou Slinkard, Benton County clerk. Their rates range from $40 per year to $75 per year.
Fast Facts
Unofficial results for fire levies
Pea Ridge
For: 396 — 46.26 percent
Against: 460 — 53.74 percent
Highfill
For: 130 — 39.04 percent
Against: 203 — 60.96 percent
Source: Benton County Election Commission
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