Officials explore Fire & EMS assessment district to fund apparatus and personnel; no ordinance introduced

City staff presented an initial proposal to create a Fire & EMS assessment district to provide a dedicated revenue stream for apparatus replacement, capital needs and personnel costs. Mary Blow (speaker 1) said the proposal would establish a tax ("We are calling it a tax, not a fee.") and cited state code authority for localities to impose such districts.

Staff presented preliminary capital projections and replacement cycles. Drew (speaker 8) summarized fleet life‑cycle assumptions (engines frontline ~15 years, retire ~25; aerials ~20 years; ambulances frontline ~7 years, retire ~10) and Mary Blow said a 10‑year average capital need was roughly $1,300,000 per year.

Staff discussed examples in other localities, PILOTs and exemptions. Mary Blow and an EDA representative noted existing payment‑in‑lieu agreements and that certain city‑designated exemptions might be restructured for the proposed tax while state‑designated exemptions (e.g., churches, governmental entities) would not be subject to it. Staff said the package could increase the share of taxable property modestly (staff estimated the current tax‑exempt portion at roughly 24%) and gave an illustrative 3¢ per $100 assessed‑value example that staff said would roughly align to the capital projection.

Committee members asked for a comprehensive fleet inventory, a clear tally of properties that would be subject to the tax, and how PILOTs would be handled. Staff said there is no ordinance before the committee and asked to return with more data; the committee did not vote and took no formal action.

Next steps: staff will compile requested data and bring a fuller package (including property counts, revenue estimates and pilot impacts) back to the finance committee and later to a council work session when ready.