Palatka commission directs staff to advertise fire-assessment at current rates, requests analysis on nonprofit exemptions

The Palatka City Commission on April 29 directed staff to advertise the city's fire-assessment at the current rates and asked finance to provide detailed analyses of alternatives and exemption changes ahead of a May 28 public hearing.

"We would have to advertise at least 20 days," finance director Miss Pierre said, urging the commission to give staff direction so the city can meet the publication timeline. She presented four options for the first-tier assessment the commission could advertise: no change (tier 1: $2.46), a 5% discount (tier 1: $2.34), a 10% discount (tier 1: $2.21) and a 15% discount (tier 1: $2.09). Miss Pierre told the commission any rate advertised can be lowered later but cannot be raised without additional notice requirements.

Mark Lawson, who prepared the assessment analysis and participated by Zoom, recommended advertising the current rates for the hearing and noted the commission could lower the rate later without re-advertising. "Go ahead, publish for your hearing ... use the no rate change," Lawson said, explaining this preserves the commission's flexibility.

Commissioner Jones pressed for faster relief for property owners and for the commission to keep campaign promises to revisit the fee. "We can't keep putting on the back burner," Jones said, urging that staff model scenarios including raising the share paid by nonprofit institutions and churches. Other commissioners acknowledged the original intent for the assessment to be temporary but warned that reducing the fee now without a replacement revenue source could force cuts or shift costs to other funds.

Miss Pierre told the commission the fire-assessment is a significant revenue stream that supports the fire budget; she said a public hearing is scheduled for May 28 and that staff would include a paragraph in the published notice indicating the commission is considering changes to institutional exemptions so the public is aware.

The commission's direction is procedural: staff will advertise the assessment at current rates for the May 28 hearing and return with models showing the budgetary impact of different discount levels and of adjusting institutional exemptions (for example, changing the 50% exemption now applied to some nonprofits). No formal ordinance adoption occurred at the workshop; the May 28 meeting is the advertised public hearing at which a formal action could be taken.

Next step: finance will publish the notice for the May 28 hearing, add language about possible changes to exemptions for institutions, and provide detailed revenue-impact scenarios and clarifications of figures that were unclear in the meeting record.