Residents press Sumter County on proposed fire-assessment methods and rates

Caroline Campbell told the Sumter County Board of County Commissioners that long response times and an ISO rating of 10 were driving up homeowners insurance and prompted questions about the county's proposed fire-assessment sample rates. "I don't understand why we're paying the same amount as somebody that lives directly [by a] fire station," Campbell said during the public forum.

County staff provided an update on the consultant's work and on alternative ways to calculate the assessment. The consultant has prepared sample-rate tables and is running parallel methodologies; staff emphasized the full study is not complete and will be presented at the board's May workshop so the board can choose a methodology.

The staff member presenting the update said the sample-rate exercises are intended only to show how the assessment could generate the same revenue as the current fiscal year. "Any of these sample rates are strictly looking at the fire assessment generating the same amount of revenue that's being generated for your current fiscal year," the staff member said.

Staff described three methodologies under consideration: historical demand (the county's traditional approach and one that staff said has been successfully defended in court), demand-availability (a method with an associated court case that is currently in litigation), and a hazardous-class or risk-class approach that ties rates to square footage and risk tiers and can offer discounts for businesses with on-site suppression.

The staff member said the county will present both methodologies at the May workshop and then move to an initial rate resolution on May 26, with mailing of first-class notices and a final public hearing currently scheduled for July 28. The presenter warned that changes in methodology could shift burdens between the fire assessment and the MSTU (the property-tax component used to balance costs). "To avoid further increase on the residential, you would be looking to increase the MSTU to provide a balance between the fire assessment and that property tax component," the staff member said.

Commissioners asked whether ISO ratings or water-supply differences could be translated into a sliding scale; staff said ISO is influenced strongly by public water and hydrants and staffing and that the consultant will be asked whether ISO or similar measures could be incorporated into a methodology. A resident who had witnessed a structure fire described the county's tanker-shuttle operations and praised the department's response, underscoring local concerns about service levels.

The meeting closed the discussion by reiterating that the county's consultant and the county attorney were not present for a full presentation and that the May workshop will contain the complete study and allow the board to decide which path to take. The board will then proceed with a rate resolution and the public-notice process ahead of the July hearing.

Next steps: full consultant report at the May workshop, initial rate resolution May 26, and a final public hearing on July 28.