By Steven Beardsley
Naples Daily News (Florida)
LEE COUNTY, Fla. — A potential merger between three south Lee County fire districts moved a step forward Monday, as the Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue District agreed to help fund a study of the concept.
With the unanimous vote, the agency’s fire commissioners joined their counterparts from the San Carlos Park and Estero districts in agreeing to the study, to be performed by TriData, a division of consulting firm Systems Planning Corporation.
Each district will pay about $40,000 for its part of hiring the firm.
The study, which will take about six months, would only be the beginning of a long process toward a merger, should the districts decide to go that way.
Residents of the three districts would ultimately have to vote on the matter.
“You’re looking at the fast track right now is two years,” said Commission Chairman Frank Liles. He added that even that estimate is optimistic.
Also on Monday, commissioners agreed to a tentative maximum millage rate of $1.947 for every $1,000 in property value in fiscal year 2008-2009, down from a rollback rate of 1.956.
The rollback rate is the maximum rate the state allows the district to set, in order to keep revenue the same as the previous fiscal year, excluding additional costs required by new construction. By setting the district’s rate .009 percentage points lower than the rollback rate, the district will forgo about $100,000 in revenue, according to district financial director Tony Gambino.
Commissioner Evans Conforti voted against the 1.947 maximum rate, noting that property values could fall further and devalue the rate.
In the past year, falling property values have shrunk the district tax base by some 6 percent, from $11.5 billion to an estimated $10.8 billion, forcing commissioners to raise millage rates to compensate for lost revenue. The current millage rate, due to expire in September, is 1.756.
Commissioners will hold meetings in July and August to set the final rate and create the new budget, effective October 2008 to September 2009.
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