Baker County considers special assessment increases

By MELISSA BURNSED

MACCLENNY, FL - Faced with mounting costs to provide essential services, the Baker County Board of County Commissioners reviewed options during a workshop Tuesday afternoon on the prospect of increasing or enacting special assessment fees for three key departments. Included in the lengthy discussions were increases for fire protection, solid waste collection and a possible new assessment for emergency medical services (EMS).

"The bottom line is that each is being subsidized through the general fund, because their expenses are all exceeding their revenue streams," said County Manager Joe Cone. "The assessments don’t cover 100 percent of the costs."

While labeled special assessments, the fees which are authorized by local ordinances, are in reality a designated form of taxes used to help fund the services. They are billed and collected right along with yearly property taxes.

Currently there is no special assessment fee levied to fund EMS within Baker County. The present fire assessment rate is $27.50 for a single family home, while commercial structures are charged a varying amount based on their square footage. The solid waste fees start at $55 for individual dwellings and escalate higher dependent on the number of dumpsters used by commercial ventures.

None of the five county commissioners were in favor of increasing rates, given the current economic crisis. But they are aware that the same tight economy that is squeezing many taxpayers is also contributing to higher deficit funding for the fleet of vehicles that provide those vital government services as the unprecedented prices for fuel are absorbed.

The board also has concerns about the looming impact of shortfalls in tax revenue, in the wake of the passage of Amendment One which Florida voters approved. Baker County voted against the changes mandated by the amendment, but it was overwhelmingly supported by residents in the states larger southern counties.

Various scenarios and concepts were discussed with county staffers and department heads but with no clear consensus, County Commission Chairman Gordon Crews scheduled another workshop prior to the next board meeting on June 16. Crews asked his fellow board members to "do their homework," on the issue and come prepared to make some hard decisions.