Sept. 11--Concern over fire-rescue protection in the Lower Keys likely will add an unexpected $476,000 to the 2013-14 Monroe County budget.
With a volunteer firefighter shortage in the Sugarloaf Key area threatening to cause big hikes in insurance rates there, county commissioners agreed Monday to add seven new career fire-rescue positions to provide 24-hour coverage.
The board gave tentative approval to the staff increase at a Sept. 4 hearing in Key Largo, pending agreement with leaders of the Sugarloaf Volunteer Fire Department for use of station space and other issues.
"The volunteers agreed they need help," County Fire Chief Jim Callahan said of the outcome of a Friday meeting.
Seven firefighter positions are needed to ensure that at least two people are available to answer calls throughout the day, allowing for days off and vacation.
"At this stage, we have mutually agreed to have career firefighters at this station," Sugarloaf Deputy Chief Bob Adair said Tuesday. "We just have some details to work out."
Last week, Callahan reported that a company that rates the effectiveness of fire response to homes and business was ready to give the Sugarloaf Key area a poor rating.
The Insurance Services Organization ranks fire response on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 "basically meaning there is no fire protection," Callahan told commissioners. ISO staff who reviewed "personnel, training, record-keeping" and other issues at the Sugarloaf volunteer fire station advised Callahan that the locality's rating "probably looks like a 10."
"A guesstimate is that fire insurance could double, triple or even be canceled," Callahan said. About 300 homes would be affected.
"This is a dangerous situation, not something to be taken lightly," County Administrator Roman Gastesi said.
For decades, volunteers manned all the fire-rescue stations in unincorporated Monroe County. As standards for firefighters increased and it became increasingly difficult to train and retain volunteers, the county began hiring career responders.
Relations between career firefighters and the remaining volunteers have not always been smooth, which was cited as one concern at the Sugarloaf firehouse.
Adair said the department last year welcomed career firefighters at the Sugarloaf station during daytime hours when volunteers work, but commissioners later cut funding for the positions.
"We didn't throw them out," Adair said. "Now the county administrator and Chief Callahan assured us there is funding available."
Commissioner Sylvia Murphy said Sept. 4 she is concerned about "adding a big amount of money for the purpose of keeping down the insurance rate" when there are two other county-staffed Lower Keys firehouses that could provide coverage.
"It's not just about the fire rating," Commissioner Danny Kolhage disagreed. "It's right to keep [Sugarloaf residents] as safe as the other people in this county."
County Mayor George Neugent said that given the Keys' geography, providing equal fire coverage to all areas is never going to be easy. "There is no simple solution I see other than adding more costs to operating local government," he said.
Other budget issues
Commissioners also clashed Sept. 4 and Monday over how to grant raises to county staff.
Murphy said with no merit evaluation system in place, county workers should be given an across-the-board increase of 3 percent.
Commissioner Heather Carruthers said she wants to wait for a pending report on county pay levels, and contended that many workers have received raises through promotions.
Gastesi wants to award raises based on merit but acknowledged that nearly all workers could qualify unless they receive poor reviews. No decision was reached.
At Monday's meeting, Gastesi said in response to commission requests that staff increased the funding for county road repairs to $28 million over the next five years.
Deteriorating roads on Stock Island and in Key Largo are expected to be the focus of $5 million planned for the upcoming fiscal year. Use of county reserves to prevent higher increases in property taxes was cut from $5 million originally proposed to $2.9 million.
Commissioners have approved a tentative millage rate no higher than $4.02 per $1,000 of taxable assessed property value.
That is lower than the current year's assessment but 2.67 percent above the rollback rate needed to raise the same about of money that property taxes raised this year.
The higher rate would generate about $77 million toward the county's tentative budget of $416.7 million. The budget includes $286.7 million in operating expenses, and $130 million in capital improvements. The balance comes from grants, fees, state revenue sharing and the like.
The budget could be approved or lowered during the final budget hearing, at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Harvey Government Center in Key West.
Copyright 2013 - Florida Keys Keynoter, (Marathon, Fla.)
