By Jason Schultz
Palm Beach Post (Florida)
Copyright 2007 The Palm Beach Newspapers, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
MARTIN, Fla. — Having your house burn down or getting trapped in a car after a wreck is bad enough, but some victims needing help from Martin County firefighters could be in store for more bad news.
They could get a bill.
Martin County commissioners will consider a proposal from county officials to start charging fees for emergency workers who respond to certain types of fires and rescues. Under the proposal, the county would charge victims up to $2,600 to respond to a structure fire, $900 to respond to a vehicle fire and $500 to extricate them from a vehicle using the Jaws of Life device after a crash.
But at least two county commissioners, the head of the emergency services department and an insurance industry representative all said they didn’t like the fee proposal.
“I’m not in favor of screwing our residents in order to extract more fees,” said Commissioner Sarah Heard.
All of the services are free because property taxes pay for the fire-rescue department’s operations.
Martin County has been examining its fees, and what new ones could be assessed, after county commissioners suggested last year that officials consider making deep cuts in 2007.
But such cuts could lead to a $12 million budget shortfall for the year beginning in October.
Meanwhile, state legislators also are considering reducing the amount of property taxes counties can collect, which could reduce the county’s property tax revenues by as much as $45 million next year.
The proposed user fees would raise about $340,000 that could replace some of the lost property tax revenue that supports fire rescue operations, according to a county report.
“People are going to have to start paying for their services,” said Assistant County Administrator Taryn Kryzda. “It’s not always the most popular avenue. But it’s becoming a fact of life.”
The fees would be charged to a victim’s insurance company, or to the victims themselves, said Steve Wolfberg, the county’s emergency services director.
“It would be self-paid if they are not insured. But we would work with the person in that situation,” Wolfberg said.
Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties do not charge user fees for responding to these types of emergencies.
“That is part of the normal taxes people pay,” said Catherine Whitaker, spokeswoman for the St. Lucie County Fire District.
Wolfberg said he is against charging such fees.
He pointed to other areas of the country that have done so and encountered stiff opposition from residents, who saw insurance companies increase their premiums.
“This has been very unpopular with users in other areas,” Wolfberg said.
William Stander, regional manager of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, said insurance companies will increase premiums if they have to pay extra fees for rescues in an area.
“Consumers take offense at the notion of being charged for emergency services,” Stander said. “That’s what taxes are for.”
Wolfberg said even though he does not like the proposal, he will present it for county commissioners to consider March 13 because any loss of property tax revenue will have to be replaced.
“We want to maintain the level of service we have,” Wolfberg said. “We want to make sure we’re looking at every option available.”
Commissioner Lee Weberman, who has pushed the county to cut its tax rate, said he opposes the fees because they wouldn’t do much to offset lost tax revenues. He suggested reducing fees paid to consultants instead.
Wolfberg said he also will propose an option to bill only victims who are not county residents. That alternative would raise about $100,000, the report estimated.
Those residents are not already paying property taxes to support Martin County but would be using its services, Wolfberg said. That idea had drawbacks as well, he said.
“If people are visiting here, they are paying sales taxes and they are using our hotel industry and restaurants,” he said.
Charging out-of-county residents for fire services could lead to another dispute. For years, Martin County has refused requests from the Palm Beach County Health Care District to pay for uninsured trauma care patients who are flown from Martin County to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach.
Health care district and Palm Beach County officials have said the district has had to pay for Martin County patients using property taxes collected from Palm Beach County residents. Martin County officials have refused to pay, saying the state should pay for trauma care costs.
If Martin County were to institute fees for out-of-county victims, an uninsured Palm Beach County resident whose vehicle caught fire in Martin County would have to pay for service, while an uninsured Martin County resident flown to St. Mary’s after a crash would not have to pay.
Wolfberg said the trauma care debate and the fire rescue fee debate are “completely separate issues.”
Weberman said the two issues sounded very similar to him.
“It’s almost the same analogy,” Weberman said. “It would weaken our argument for not paying the trauma care fees.”
Proposed charges
Looking to offset projected losses in property tax revenue, Martin County will consider adding the following fire rescue fees:
- Up to $500 to be extricated from a vehicle after a car crash.
- Up to $900 to have a vehicle fire extinguished.
- Up to $2,600 to have a structure fire extinguished.