By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

            Chiefland City Commissioners voted unanimously Monday to raise the size of the city’s fire assessment from $129 per household to $159 in part due to a Levy County Commission decision last week.

            The city had asked the county commission to increase its contribution to Chiefland by about $100,000 for fighting fires outside the city limits, but the county responded with a smaller increase — $44,646.

            Chiefland commissioners said the county’s contribution is leaving the city with a shortfall of funding in Chiefland Fire Rescue.

            The city commission can lower its fire assessment in September during budget hearings, but that would mean city property taxpayers would have to contribute additional money from the city’s general operating fund to balance the fire department budget. Or the city could try to cut costs in the fire department.

            County commissioners decided last week to give all city fire departments a 15 percent increase across the board. Three city fire departments had asked for an increase of just over $100,000 including Chiefland

            The county commission has its own fire department, but it’s a shadow of its former self in the modern era, with empty fire department buildings scattered across rural areas where successful small volunteer departments once operated.

            County commissioners now depend largely on city fire departments to fight their fires. The county also uses ambulance crews trained as firefighters to supplement what the cities provide, but the county is short on ambulance personnel. Ambulance crews don’t operate firefighting trucks carrying water. They carry bunker gear in ambulances and respond to fires as backup for city fire departments when they have the time.

            The county is having difficulty hiring personnel to bring back its 7^th ambulance in spite of big pay raises issued this year. With just six ambulances on the road, firefighter paramedics and firefighter EMTs are busier than ever doing their regular jobs of transporting patients to medical facilities in Gainesville.

            The county uses a fire assessment levied against rural homeowners and businesses to pay city fire departments to fight fires outside their city limits. The county increased its contribution to Chiefland from $297,635 to $342,281, which is nearly identical to what Williston received.

            Williston also receives supplemental pay for each call they answer in Morriston when county firefighters can’t respond to a fire call in that community. The county pays Williston $175 for each call in Morriston when Morriston fire trucks don’t respond.

            Mayor Chris Jones asked City Manager Laura Cain to set up a special meeting to talk about the county and city fire agreement. He wants to invite county officials to meet with the city commission.

            “I’m not trying to start a fight,” Jones said. But he said the two sides need to discuss funding levels.

            The county pays Chiefland to fight fires in Fowlers Buff and Otter Creek, which no longer have active fire departments. Chiefland Fire Chief James Harris said Chiefland’s fire district extends to Rosewood on the west side of Chiefland and halfway to Bronson on the east and to Otter Creek south of the city.

            City fire departments have been hit hard by high fuel prices in the past year along with rising wages. Call loads are up in Chiefland and Williston. However, county commissioners weren’t interested in raising their fire assessment.

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City of Chiefland Regular Meeting July 25, 2022; Posted July 25, 2022