A request by the McLendon Hills Property Owners Association to be moved from their current Eagle Springs Fire District into the Seven Lakes First District has prompted the Commissioners to undertake a complete analysis of the County's Fire Districts -- something that hasn't been done in recent memory.
But that also means it may be a while before McLendon Hills homeowners get the lower insurance rates they were hoping to get by hopping districts.
McLendon Hills made the request during the Board's April 17 meeting; prompting a recommendation from Fire Marshal Ken Skipper that the County hire a consultant to conduct a formal countywide study of the issue.
During their Tuesday, May 1 meeting, the Commissioners unanimously agreed to have Skipper issue a Request For Proposal [RFP] for a comprehensive study of the fire service districts in Moore County. The project is expected to cost anywhere from $20,000 to $90,000.
Unified fire tax rate a possibility
One possible outcome of such a study is that the entire County would move to a “unified tax rate,” in which all county residents would pay the same fire tax rate, instead of a different rate in each district. Current fire tax rates range from a low of 4.0 cents per hundred dollars of valuation in Seven Lakes, to a high of 11.1 cents for Crain's Creek.
“Some of the districts would pay less [than they currently do], and some would potentially pay more under that scenario?” Lea asked.
Skipper confirmed that possibility and added that a unified tax rate would take the issue of fire department revenues out of the equation when considering a change to district lines. So any change in those lines would be more about the proximity of a fire station -- and not what it would cost for that person or community to be moved from one district to another.
The County's sixteen fire tax districts were drawn up in the 1960s, Skipper said, with some minor adjustments in the 1980s and 1990s.
“Maybe it’s time for an independent look at how those lines have been drawn,” said Commissioner Nick Picerno, “and how they are serving our County.”
Insurance rates, not taxes, are McLendon Hills' concern
McLendon Hill POA President Peter Dotto said his community's request to move from Eagle Springs to Seven Lakes was not about taxes, but about the insurance ratings of those respective departments.
“Our original request was not about taxes it’s about the insurance districts," said Dotto, "And I would like for this study to include what we perceive as the inequity of a tax district that is farther away from our home. Because the ratings are worse, we are paying much more insurance."
The Seven Lakes squad has a better insurance rating, which would significantly lower the insurance premiums paid by McLendon Hills homeowners.
“If you do come up with a fire tax throughout the County, we still don’t get the insurance district,” explained Dotto. “I think it would be fair to have a home governed by the nearest fire station."
Chairman Larry Caddell replied that, when the fire districts are analyzed in the independent study, the insurance districts will be analyzed as well.
“The insurance rating and distance to the fire department is relative," said Caddell,"One goes with the other.”
"It's also important [the station's] distance to you," said Caddell, "that is just as important as to me as it is to reduce your costs. Both of those should go hand-in-hand."
Skipper said he expects RFPs will be issued on July 1, with a recommendation for a vendor and funding to come before the Board by their second meeting in August. If approved by the Board, the results of the study are expected by February of 2013.
