Petitions bearing about 1,400 signatures were turned in to the city clerk's office Wednesday, seeking a place on the Nov. 2 general election ballot for a proposal to create a full-time fire department.
The number of signatures was about 300 more than the number of signatures of registered voters that would be needed to assure a ballot spot. City Clark Virginia Hillman said it will take about a week to check the petitions to see how many signatures are those of registered voters. Currently, fire protection in the city of about 23,000 people is provided by two volunteer fire departments. The two departments share in about $700,000 in fire-protection money provided by the city council each year, and also collect about $600,000 in fees from property owners, based on property values.
Maxellen Craig, one of the petition-drive leaders, said the fees charged by the volunteer departments were too high. The fees have tripled since 2001, she said.
Mayor Bill Harmon said supporters of a full-time department were misleading people about how much it will cost. He said the city would have to re-impose a property tax _ eliminated when a sales tax was adopted several years ago _ to start up and run a fire department.
The cost is a matter of dispute. Alan Earnhardt, assistant chief of the Sylvan Hills Fire Department _ one of the two volunteer groups serving Sherwood _ said a study by his department showed start-up costs for a city department would be $7 million, and it would cost $3 million a year to run it.
Robert Walla, another leader of the push for a full-time department, said ``that figure of $7 million _ they're really grasping at straws.''
Walla said that, if voters approve, the department would be phased in over three years, and paid for out of budget surpluses.
