Yesterday Dave Statter posted an article on STATter911 (HERE) about a Township Board in Michigan that has just approved a town budget that includes fees for calling on the fire department if the citizens have an emergency.  He then continues to rhetorically ask questions about this unusual practice, such as will this lead to delayed calls?  And, will this along with the announced layoffs of full-time firefighters lead to larger and more costly fires?

I have some questions along a different line of thought.  As many of you might remember, I strongly dislike taxpayer-funded public safety agencies adding on charges to the citizens for using them.  I realize that services such as fire protection have to get their money from somewhere and that is most evident where volunteer FD’s are continually holding fund-raising activities.  And there are a few isolated instances where the fire department is a private enterprise and they collect subscriptions from the residents in their district.

But when a local government provides the services as a funded part of their operation, then I am of the opinion that it is unconscionable to penalize the citizen in distress by charging additional fees just because they need help.  Public health and safety is a function of the government.  And if the citizens have decided that they want their own police department, or fire department, or ambulance service, then they should be provided for in the regular revenue sources that the community receives.

This particular town that we’re now talking about is Leoni Township in Jackson County, Michigan, located 75 miles west of Detroit with a population of 14,000, about half of whom are rural residents.  On Wednesday the Township Board approved this measure to add charges to an already-distressed homeowner if they call the fire department for a fire in their bedroom.  The fees start at $550 and go up according to the size of the response.  (see the fee postings in the Jackson Citizen-Patriot HERE.)

The Board justifies this decision by claiming that it’s a necessity because last month the citizens refused to pass a public safety millage tax last month.  Up until now, fire service was provided for.  But suddenly, they can’t do it because the citizens refused to expand the realm of tax collection to the Town Board.

To put it simply, these politicians are using this device as a bludgeon to punish their own citizens for not knuckling under and allowing their current tax collections to be shifted from public safety into other government programs.  This is wrong.

These board members who voted for this scheme are failures because they have not managed the town wisely.  As one example, I point out that in January of this year their bond ratings for revenue bonds to fund a new sewage treatment plant were downgraded from “A+” to “A.”  This was because of poor fiscal management (see report HERE) and will now result in higher interest payments from the township, putting an additional burden on the budget.

The solution for this case lies with the voters.  But the problem will be arising in other places because this is the current mindset of some politicians.  Addicted to spending other people’s money, they are constantly striving to find new ways to take more of it away from the citizens that they are supposed to be serving.  (See Firegeezer’s report on Gary, Indiana, charging its citizens fire hydrant rental HERE.)

This is all the more reason to keep a close, friendly relationship with the people you serve.  Don’t let this sort of chicanery sneak up on you.

Well, we’d better get this equipment checked out now.  I’m going to get the coffee started.

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