Residents upset with fire budget

Paradise Valley resident Ann Coughlin supports Paradise Valley Fire District, but she can’t support a proposed budget that would more than double the property taxes she pays to them.

“I felt like I was duped,” Coughlin said during last week’s standing-room-only public hearing for the fire department’s proposed $243,000 spending plan.

The budget is more than the $112,000 she expected when voters in November supported creating a taxing district by a 2-to-1 margin to pay for department operations. Prior to that, the department relied on its 1,100 property owners to pay dues of $105 annually, which only 40 percent of the people paid.

The proposed budget includes paying $45,000 for a fire chief, who is currently a volunteer. Another $45,000 is budgeted for paying one firefighter to remain at the station when the chief isn’t on duty.

Some at the meeting, including those who stood outside next to open windows in the rain so they could listen, called the budget excessive.

“I love my daughter, but I don’t buy her expensive toys,” Coughlin said.

Fire commissioner Fred Marek told residents that having on-duty paid firefighters could reduce homeowners’ insurance premiums.

Commissioners proposed paying one firefighter $50 to remain at the station from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. on weeknights and $200 to remain there from 5 p.m. Friday through 8 a.m. Monday.

Firefighters, who responded to more than 90 calls last year, also would be paid $12.50 for each call.

“If we have an administrative chief, it would allow us to get grants when available,” Marek said. “(Chief) Jock (Johnson) in the last 1 1/2 years has spent 70 to 80 hours a week uncompensated on paperwork.”

Resident Jeff Mellinger said he appreciates the fire department, but believes the proposed budget is excessive.

“In my opinion,” I think it (the taxing district) should be appealed and go back to the way we had it, Mellinger said. “I will knock on people’s doors for $50.”

“If we had everyone pay dues, we would not be here today,” added resident and former fire commissioner Wayne Nishek. “I’d like to see the commissioners get it down to where the dues were.”

Brad Holifield, a 27-year veteran with the Anchorage Fire Department, said he does not favor the budget.

“”There’s a lot of fluff in this thing,” Holifield said. “I could probably sign on for the original budget, but this budget’s just completely out of line. The commissioners need to get out the budget-cutting knife and then they need to cut it to the bone.”

Firefighter Doug Ladely noted he has spent more than 1,000 hours training and he’s volunteered on countless accidents and fires.

“I don’t want to pay more taxes,” Ladely said. “I think the volunteer system is falling apart. People weren’t paying (their dues). We need to set it (the budget) at a level that will keep it going the next 10 to 20 years.”

Prior to becoming a taxing district, Paradise Valley Fire Association collected about $40,000 for its annual budget from dues. The association was not making ends meet, Marek said.

“Paradise Valley Fire District is a desirable place to live and it’s growing,” he said. “This is our first attempt based on information available. I personally think there are some adjustments.”