The Fire District
It is time to separate
the annexation issue from the viability of the fire district. It may or
may not be in the best interest of the residents of Lealman to maintain an
independent fire district. The Lealman Fire District has served the
Lealman community admirably but should the taxes increase because of lost
revenue through annexation, the people will have to face a difficult
decision.
We,
as a community should do everything we can to assure the rank and file
firemen will continue serving our community by making their continued
employment and seniority a condition of any contract for service with any
city should the LFD be disloved. Under the current negotiations, this
concession was rejected by
Pinellas Park. The LCA will strongly advocate for the LFD's rank and
file who have faithfully served our community.
The inequity of the tax
burden on the people of Lealman who have supported the Lealman Special
Independent Fire District is becoming a financial burden on
our residents. The unincorporated average millage for fire protection is
approximately 2.3 mills while we are currently paying 3.69 mills. While
the trend has been to a reduce our fire tax millage, the lower
millage still represents a higher dollar amount because of the dramatic
increase in property values.
The continued
existence or the dissolution of the LFD should be settled by
referendum of the people of Lealman and not by cities.
After a full disclosure of the pros and cons of the issues and options,
the people of Lealman should exercise their right of choice as to the
future of the LFD.
