Saturday, December 20, 2008

When Monroe County commissioners met Wednesday a new discussion emerged that could lead to changes in firefighter jurisdiction throughout the Florida Keys, which drew vocal opposition from the county's interim fire chief.

Commissioners began early talks of proposed changes to fire service maps that effectively would cut the need for Monroe County Fire Department coverage north of the Seven Mile Bridge.

Mayor George Neugent said there might be a way to lessen the burden on county firefighters by asking Marathon firefighters to protect the unincorporated Monroe County area between Marathon and Islamorada -- Long Key, Layton, Conch Key, Duck Key and Grassy Key. The county's fire service area would stretch from Stock Island north to the Seven Mile Bridge.

From the other direction, Islamorada feasibly could help cover areas north to Tavernier. Islamorada Fire Chief William Wagner already oversees operations in Marathon, after former Marathon Fire Chief Dale Beaver resigned earlier this year and the city decided not to hire a replacement.

What that would mean for residents and tax rates remains unclear, Neugent said.

"The tax issue would certainly play a role in determining what we did or not," Neugent said. "The whole idea is about efficiency. As I see it, it would eliminate some of the expenses of having to deal with segmented jurisdiction in unincorporated county areas."

Residents in unincorporated Monroe County pay $1.54 per $1,000 of assessed value in fire and emergency medical taxes. Officials on Friday could not say how that figure would be affected by the proposed changes.

Marathon and Islamorada do not have a separate fire tax -- residents in those towns pay a flat property tax that includes fire protection services, officials in those towns said. Islamorada residents pay $1.85 per $1,000 of assessed value and Marathon residents pay $1.50. Key West residents -- a town which is not part of the proposed changes -- pay $2.23.

"Under the county, it's shared countywide," said Monroe County Interim Fire Chief Jim Callahan. "That tax is going to be higher under a city."

Neugent said the additional tax revenue Marathon would generate through taxes on residents from Grassy Key to Long Key could offset any additional costs to provide them firefighting services.

Some county politicians said they were unclear on the details of the proposal.

"The first I heard about this was at the meeting Wednesday," said Commissioner Mario Di Gennaro. "A lot of research needs to be done."

Marathon City Manager Clyde Burnett was worried about "putting the cart before the horse," and stressed that the issue has not progressed beyond an initial discussion.

"We need to see if something like this could even work," before the issue of taxes is hammered out, he said.

Reducing the scope of the county's fire service and eliminating it altogether in some areas could lessen the tax rate for everyone across the board as other municipalities absorbed more of those taxes, Neugent said.

"But that's pure speculation without good numbers," he added.

Di Gennaro said he would oppose anything that "raises taxes that isn't absolutely necessary."

Commissioner Kim Wiging-ton said she understands the logic of wanting to make fire protection more efficient throughout the Keys, but thinks fire officials should provide input at a special workshop.

Callahan was adamant in his opposition to any change that would hand over county fire jurisdiction to municipalities.

"It makes no sense to me," Callahan said. "Think about it logically.

"We have firehouses from Stock Island to Tavernier; Layton, Conch Key are all a part of that. It just doesn't make sense to cut the map up."

Callahan said the Fire Department has been making improvements to firehouses and in areas such as gear.

"We can do the job as good as anybody," Callahan said.

alinhardt@keysnews.com