County begins crunching budget

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Saturday, June 27, 2009

County begins crunching budget

A plan to convert Layton's fire department from a volunteer agency to a paid one could add another $450,000 to Monroe County's already cash-strapped budget.

Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi said he hopes to bring the county property tax rate for the 2009-10 fiscal year in at rollback, the rate that raises same amount of revenue as last year. This year the county property tax levy was $85,278,651, records show. The county has frozen jobs, laid off workers and reduced programs in the past two years to balance its budget.

Gastesi and County Fire Chief Jim Callahan met with Layton Mayor Norman Anderson and City Administrator Philip "Skip" Haring on Friday to discuss a plan to bring seven paid firefighters to Layton. The Layton fire station is responsible for fire service from the Islamorada city limit south to Conch Key.

The plan would bring in four more paid firefighters the following year and four more the year after that, Callahan said.

"I support it. It's needed," Callahan said.

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Mr. Wow here!

Submitted on Sat, 06/27/2009 - 3:35pm

And if u really want to hire firefighters hire locally, like give the volunteers of that station a first crack at it, instead of hiring these people from out of the county that don't know nothing about the keys and nothing about "monroe county fire rescue".

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Mr. Wow here!

Submitted on Sat, 06/27/2009 - 3:29pm

Wow, why am i not surprised!!! Just trying to faze out all the volunteers in the keys, Fire Rescue does not realize that this county doesn't need more personnel for the fire service, they need more personnel for the ems, thats why they should just go back to doing ems, how often r there fires in the keys?? what a dozen a yr?! And thats from the beginning of the county line to the end, come on now!! We don't need more paid firefighters we need more emt's and paramedics.

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Mr Wow..

Submitted on Sat, 06/27/2009 - 11:06pm

The term firefighter in today's times covers EMTs and Paramedics. So when they say Firefighters that is what they mean, cross trained in all areas, No one is hired as just a firefighter you must be an EMT or Paramedic..except in KW. Volunteers are dwindling in the keys due to everyone that lives here has 2 or 3 jobs to survive and pay all the new taxes that seem to appear every year leaving no time to volunteer.

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I hope the taxpayers of key west dont have to help

Submitted on Sat, 06/27/2009 - 12:09pm

I hope the taxpayers of key west dont have to help support the new county fire department! It seems like the county manager loves to spend money in bad economic times its not coming out of his pocket. county employees havent gotten a raise in three years and he wants to expand county goverment on the backs of us that have gotten a raise Oh thats right he got one while the rest of us did not. I say hell no let the upper keys pay for it if they need it so bad.