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Bennett fire officials oppose petition to move 25 households to Southeast district; board will decide later
Summary
At a Feb. 24 public hearing, Bennett Rural Fire Protection District officials and residents urged commissioners to deny a petition to reassign about 25 households to the Southeast Rural Fire Protection District, citing response-area confusion, lost tax revenue and volunteer recruitment concerns; the board will consider the petition at a later public meeting.
Lancaster County commissioners heard extended testimony Feb. 24 from Bennett Rural Fire Protection District officials and residents who oppose a petition to annex part of the Bennett district into the Southeast Rural Fire Protection District.
Scott Kinsey, president of the Bennett rural fire district board, said about 25 households that signed the petition sought to opt out, and he described the change as a "blindside" that could reduce tax revenue for Bennett, complicate response boundaries and hurt volunteer recruitment. "If you allow this, what's to stop their neighbors...from coming back and saying, 'we want out,'" Kinsey told the board, saying he feared added expense for remaining taxpayers.
Bennett Fire Chief Luke Baldwin provided operational data and said Bennett has met NFPA response-time standards in the neighborhood at issue; he described recent changes — including placing an ambulance in service — that helped improve response metrics. "With all of those times, other than that, we've been able to meet and be there within 15 minutes or less from time of dispatch to apparatus on scene," Baldwin said, while acknowledging two exceptions caused by severe weather and limited member availability.
Southeast Fire Chief John Weese testified as neutral and said Southeast did not solicit annexation; he confirmed that both departments are paged for calls along the shared border and that Southeast responds to high-acuity calls with ALS and paramedic resources when appropriate.
Deputy County Attorney Morgan Sanchez confirmed statutory notification requirements were met and said required public notices were published in the newspaper more than seven days before the hearing. Dennis Meyer, county budget and fiscal officer, told the board that any tax reallocation would occur in the next budget year (tax year 2026) and that Southeast would not receive new tax payments immediately.
The board closed the public hearing and said it will take up the petition at a subsequent public meeting; commissioners asked staff to ensure interested parties know when it will appear on a future agenda.
(Reporting based on sworn testimony from Bennett and Southeast officials and staff answers about notice and taxation.)
