Today at 3 p.m., the Leon County Commission will consider rate adjustments to the five-year fire rescue assessments and fees for fire services in the unincorporated area of Leon County for the remainder of the five-year study period (FY 2028) as requested by the City of Tallahassee.
According to the agenda item, a rate study initiated by the City of Tallahassee indicated that adjustments are required to provide sufficient funding based on projected expenditure increases. The adjustments were reviewed by a professional third-party consultant.
The adjustments would be effective October 1, 2025, and generate an additional $2.6 million annually in the unincorporated area for a total of $14.2 million in each of the remaining three years.
Provided below are the current and proposed rate adjustments.
During the meeting, the Leon County Commission will also consider a proposed resolution to mitigate expenditures, and rate increases by initiating the formal conflict resolution process provided by Interlocal Agreement with the City of Tallahassee.
Leon County to Consider City’s Proposed 22% Increase in Fire Services Fee added by Staff on
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When they first started the fire service fee, I know for a fact the residents of in the Ox Bottom, Summerbrooke, Killearn Lakes, McBride, and basically everywhere north of Walmart, lost coverage. There used to be 4 personnel assigned to station 15, and immediately upon passing of the fee they took away 1 firefighter. That may not seem like much, but there is an Engine and a brush truck at 15 and that 4th person operated the brush truck. The brush now hardly goes anywhere and it is used to get places the larger Engine cannot. I want a study to find out where the fire service fee money has been going and then we can discuss doing more or less with it.
We want fire protection, but I would like more info on the details of the true costs of fire protection service before this is increased. For example, how much of our fire protection service goes to fighting fires vs how much goes to sending a truck to respond to every automobile accident? How much is spent in the city vs. in the unincorporated areas? Also, if it costs more to service Zone 2 unincorporated residents, why are their costs lower per unit than Zone 1 unincorporated units? I hate to see costs in one area driving up fees in all areas. The city’s indefinite electric surcharge on county residents, for example, seems to be an unfair tax as administered. I understand the logic of covering the increased costs of electric infrastructure in areas outside the city. But to have to continue to pay this tax at the same rate 20-30 years after the infrastructure has been developed seems unfair. As we have seen from DOGE’s recent work on the federal level, taxes can easily be spent on things very differently than the original intent. Government is good at starting and funding projects, not so good at reevaluating and cutting projects that are no longer needed. So, more detail on addressing the specific factors driving up the fire protection costs would be helpful.
“While we dont need the extra 22% to run the fire service we are concerned Desantis will eliminate or greatly reduce property tax revenues.
What we are doing is getting out ahead of the City Commission by jacking up the Fire Services Fee first … who knows what the City will jack up in response. But we are getting our money first”, said all County Commissioners.
And the County Commissioners, I forgot to include them too.
With all the NEW Expensive Homes that have been built over the past 5 Years, being built NOW and that are about to be Built in the very near Future, Those Fee’s and others should be coming down AND all of the City Commissioners and School Board Members need to be REPLACED with true Business Men & Women that KNOW what they are doing. STOP WASTING OUR MONEY.