TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The Leon County Commission is set to have a public hearing looking into how the Tallahassee fire service fee is billed for unincorporated residents.
- A future Leon County Commission public hearing will look at the ordinance that requires unincorporated Leon County residents to pay the fire service fee with their City of Tallahassee utility bill.
- Commissioner Christian Caban has raised concerns over the requirement.
- Watch the video to hear how Caban thinks neighbors in unincorporated areas should pay their bills going forward.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Neighbors could face higher Tallahassee fire service fees by the end of this year, but some County Commissioners have concerns about those who live outside the city.
Fire service fees are likely to increase for neighbors starting October 1. The City passed a 22% hike in June. County Commissioners are currently in arbitration with the City, pushing back against the raise. Leon County Commissioner Christian Caban said he’s focused on incorporated Leon County residents who pay for the fire service fee through their City of Tallahassee utility bill.
"It's taxation without representation. They have no say in their utility bills. They have no say," said Caban.
That's because, Caban said, these residents are unable to vote in City elections, but could be affected by City decisions.
"You could just not pay your fire services fee and the city could turn off your water, turn off your electric," said Caban. "And there are families that are struggling."
Caban is proposing amending the ordinance that dictates how this fee is charged. He hopes for this fee to be moved from the City of Tallahassee utility bill to an ad valorem bill. He says that offers more protections.
During Tuesday's meeting, Caban cited a class action lawsuit in the City of Ocala. Caban said there are some similarities with how the City of Tallahassee bills. He says a judge ruled the way Ocala bills this tax was "unconstitutional."
ABC 27 spoke to Tallahassee City Manager Reese Goad. He said this ordinance was drafted by the County in 2009. Goad said if they want to change this, it's entirely up to the County's jurisdiction.
"The city has no preference on that. We, we charge on the utility bill at the request of the county. If the county wishes to do it in a different way, we're certainly accommodating of that," said Goad.
Goad said regardless of how the money is collected, it will all go towards the fire department.
"All of the dollars are used entirely by the fire department and only by the fire department. It's not used by any other element of the county or the city," said Goad.
As for what's next, the County Commission unanimously approved a public hearing for the next board meeting, where they are set to discuss the ordinance and how they want this fee to be paid.
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