By Susannah Bryan
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. 鈥� Fort Lauderdale is moving forward with plans to set up an EMS taxing district that could generate close to $55 million a year to help pay the salaries of the city鈥檚 firefighter/paramedics.
Homeowners and commercial property owners would see the Emergency Medical Services tax on their property tax bill along with a fire fee already levied by the city.
The would come to nearly $500 for a home with a taxable value of $590,000. The higher the value of the property, the higher the tax.
Commissioners are expected to vote next month on a plan that would pave the way for the taxing district.
Bob Casullo , a resident who lives in a condo on the barrier island, was alarmed by the news.
鈥淭he end result is you鈥檙e paying out more taxes,鈥� Casullo told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e trying to get blood out of a stone. I don鈥檛 think this is going to go over well at all with the residents. It鈥檚 a burden most taxpayers don鈥檛 need and can鈥檛 afford.鈥�
During a goal-setting meeting on Tuesday, Commissioner John Herbst argued the tax would help pay for the city鈥檚 growing contingent of firefighters needed to protect a growing city.
Mayor Dean Trantalis and Commissioner Pamela Beasley-Pittman said they were worried about burdening property owners with yet another tax to pay in the current economic climate.
鈥淭his is a large financial burden,鈥� Beasley-Pittman said. 鈥淭his would be a very hard impact on many of our neighbors. Is this the right timing for this?鈥�
Currently, residential property owners in Fort Lauderdale pay an annual fire assessment fee of $328. That fee, which helps pay for firefighting duties, brings in $51.5 million a year.
At full-cost recovery, the new EMS tax would bring in another $53 million in the first year. Together, the fire fee and EMS tax would bring in a grand total of $104.5 million.
Under current estimates, the EMS tax would come to $456.78 for a home with a taxable value of $590,000.
The new tax could show up on property tax bills as soon as 2026.
Both the fire fee and the new EMS tax would help fund the salaries of the city鈥檚 firefighter/paramedics, Fire Chief Stephen Gollan told the Sun Sentinel.
鈥淭he firefighter salary is divided between the fire fee and the EMS tax,鈥� Gollan said. 鈥淭he fire fee pays for firefighting duties. Our firefighters are paramedics too. The EMS tax pays for emergency medical care.鈥�
As fire chief, Gollan oversees a budget of more than $122 million and a staff of 523 full-time employees, including more than 450 firefighters. Their salaries and benefits alone cost $95 million.
At Tuesday鈥檚 meeting, Herbst made his case for moving forward with the new tax.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking at three men on a truck,鈥� Herbst said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to . It鈥檚 either a millage rate increase or an EMS tax. Something is going to have to pay for these people.鈥�
Trantalis made it clear he was not swayed.
鈥淚 think you鈥檙e slapping a pretty face onto a pig,鈥� Trantalis told Herbst. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e still raising taxes. Our homeowners are getting hit really hard right now. You all want to support it, go ahead. I just can鈥檛 support it.鈥�
If the EMS tax wins commission approval, the fire department won鈥檛 be getting an infusion of $53 million, Gollan said. But the city鈥檚 day-to-day budget will. So far, no one has specified what that extra money would go to, Gollan said.
鈥淲e鈥檇 be getting the same amount,鈥� Gollan said of the fire-rescue department. 鈥淎ll it鈥檚 doing is creating more transparency in terms of where the money鈥檚 going.鈥�
Vice Mayor Steve Glassman and Commissioner Ben Sorensen joined Herbst in saying they wanted to move forward with setting up an EMS taxing district.
Instead of seeking full-cost recovery for emergency medical services, the commission has the option of phasing in the tax at 25% in the first year or at another percentage of their choosing 鈥� including zero if the tax can be put off until a later year.
The commission would be required to set the maximum rate for the EMS tax in July. Commissioners would have the option of lowering the final tax rate during two budget hearings in September.
Sorensen said he liked the idea of setting up the taxing district to give the commission more options at budget time later this year.
鈥淚 think we should have the structure in place,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd in terms of actual percentage (of cost recovery), maybe it鈥檚 zero. Maybe it鈥檚 zero for years.鈥�
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