Fire Board ---
What a concept it is to consolidate all the fire districts on Lee County.
I believe as I lay person that what The News Press is wondering about is an interesting idea. In theory, the consolidation could work, but in the real world when you take the power from local governing boards and turn it to over to a larger area governing board, local citizens usually lose out.
Would they also lose their community identity?
Is this fair?
I believe service and government is best provided on the local level. Government closer to the people is, and should be, the most responsive to its constituents. That’s why my campaign for Lehigh Acres Fire Board Seat 5 employs the motto: “My campaign of hope and self-reliance is based on the philosophy that less government equals lower taxes and less inference in our lives.”
The main issues, especially in the Lehigh Acres Fire District, are that the board did not act responsibly with taxpayer’s money. On June 29, 2006, this board authorized an expense to borrow up to eight million dollars from Sun Trust Bank and spend 5.8 million of those dollars with Fowler Construction Company to build two new fire stations without looking into alternative funding sources such as federal, state and local grants. Also, for record, the current Lehigh Acres Fire District is sitting on more than 8.8 million dollars in regular and impact fee reserve funds in bank accounts today.
So why are we borrowing money?
The loan Sun Trust is making to the fire board is secured against future impact fees. The danger about this type of loan is growth will slow down in Lehigh Acres as interest rates go up. The bank holds the right to tell the board not to borrow any more against impact fees during the life of the loan and has the right to put a hold on purchases such as needed equipment to save lives.
It’s time to fix the issues.
It’s time to tell the fire board commissioners they will be held accountable for their actions. And it’s time the Lehigh Acres fire board commissioners start thinking outside the box.
Why do fire board commissioners need to raise taxes again or even keep the millage rate the same from last year?
Why not lower the tax burden?
It’s time to control spending, reduce the tax burden on retired and working class citizens, but, meanwhile, keep our community safe and secure.
We can do this.
So --- why cannot I commit to the two huge new fire stations on Sunshine and Bell?
It’s very simple location and size – the current the board does not realize that a community use facilities must be on city water and sewer by county code. Also these current locations will not fix the call time crisis issue --- (call time is the time that the equipment leaves station and arrives at the scene) at the current locations pick out by the board they will still have call times of 20 to 30 minutes to the most southern and eastern areas of the district, why? Currently Station #1 takes 20 to 30 min to run a call to Corkscrew Rd (which part of the road is in the fire district) and most of the time firefighters/EMS personnel have to run outside the county to get there or have to take million-dollar pieces of equipment down potholed dirt roads in which is dangerous for both the equipment and the personnel.
My point crystal clear doesn’t these citizens that live in these areas that also pay the Lehigh Acres Fire District ad-varlom taxes and impact fees shouldn’t they also been able receive the benefit of a 5 to 8 minute call times?
Why couldn't we use the 8.8 million dollars we already have on hand and future impact fee money to building or lease space to have 4 to 6 mini fire stations throughout Lehigh Acres fire district over the next ten years, which would resolve the critical need for lower call times and to have proper resources in critical areas. This would also lower possibility to resolve one key issue that the citizens of Lehigh Acres would never have to borrow money to build fire stations.
This would also allow the Firefighter/EMS personnel to become part of the community. Which turns into a win - win solution to the whole community of Lehigh Acres!
The fire board also voted Jun 20th to keep its preliminary tax rate proposal at $2.79 per $1,000 of taxable property value. (As reported by the News-Press staff.) With property values increasing 84 percent this year, no one should consider a higher tax rate, Commissioner Bruce Boyd said. Many homeowners still saw increases to their tax bills, and, likely will again this year as property values continue to rise.
For the fire board to be totally fiscally responsible, it would have to roll back the tax rate to .45 cent per $1,000 of taxable property value. But we all know that this wouldn’t happen.
At every fire board meeting I hear, “We want this, we want that”
“Do we need this?,” should be the question - and why?
I believe there also is an ethical difference between a NEED and a WANT. The current fire board doesn’t understand the difference, especially Lehigh Acres Fire Board Chairman Haas who has been quoted: “I have the money and I’m going to spend it” --- So is this a fiscally responsible statement for the chairman to make? The board recently hired Donald Adams as our new “Super Chief.” He will be paid $115,500 this year and $122,000 when the new budget year begins Oct. 1. And as of Oct 1, the Lehigh Acres “Super Chief” will be the second highest paid chief in Lee County. But for the record, Mr. Adams has never been a Fire Chief position before in his career, he has always been the second or third in command. So is the board going to have to micromanage him also?
Citizens lately have been questioning my commitment to preserve our natural resources. Isn’t WATER a natural resource that, on average, the fire department uses millions of gallons of each year? Wouldn’t using reuse (gray) water fix the multiple issues in Lehigh Acres? I consider this a win – win solution for Lehigh Acres. It fixes two major issues in Lehigh Acres - using too much potable water on a daily basis and too much reuse (gray) water in the system.
Since FGUA has to dig a deep well injection unit to get rid of the extra reuse (gray) water, why couldn’t the fire dept use the reuse (gray) water instead of more expensive potable water? Reuse will not harm any equipment the fire department uses. This is called thinking outside the box and common sense. This is what the current Lehigh Acres fire board lacks.
Some people even have questioned my experience, but as lay person I bring one of the most important things to the table– common sense. So what experience did former or current board members have such as Bruce Boyd, John Boardman or Frank LaRosa. They had common sense – They had never fought a fire or started an I.V.
Other people have said I have portrayed myself as a home-owning tax payer in Lehigh Acres. I have never portrayed myself as a home owner in Lehigh Acres. My wife and I lease our home and our lease pays the landlord’s taxes – and I’m very proud that I can keep a roof over my family’s head at a reasonable cost in today’s real estate market.
With such a deep divide in our community on these issues, I need citizens like you to email me at
Robert.Anderson@andersonforlehighacres.com or call me at 239-491-0401 with ideas that can be used to resolve these issues. I look forward to hearing from each and every concerned citizen in the months to come. And I look forward to becoming to people’s commissioner on this fire board on November 7th, 2006.
Sincerely,
Robert J Anderson
Your Candidate for Lehigh Acres Fire Board Seat 5
www.andersonforlehighacres.comPolitical Paid Advertisement and Approved by Robert J Anderson candidate for Lehigh Acres Fire Board Seat 5
