Monday, May 30, 2022

What incentive do the people have to annex into the LMRFD?

What incentive do the people have to join the LMRFD? Nothing.

Be honest, would you voluntarily choose to increase your property tax by several hundred to several thousand dollars when you get the same services now at no cost? 

The LMRFD covers 144 square miles in the two communities of Dolan Springs and Meadview. It does not cover the 38 miles between the two communities, the hundreds of homes west of US93, in White Hills, or on US93 itself. 

We cannot continue to abandon the community paying for fire and EMS services to respond to areas that have been repeatedly told they have no service and have made no attempts to provide their own coverage.

I'm sorry but we need to reduce the area covered by the LMRFD Ambulance to the 144 square mile fire district. Currently the LMRFD CON, it's Certificate of Necessity covers 2200 square miles, that's 2056 miles outside of the 144 square mile fire district.  

Why should the LMRFD respond to your call leaving those who do support the fire district unprotected?   

We have no contractual liability to respond to fires outside the fire district. White Hills isn't in a fire district. We have no mutual aid agreement with White Hills because they have no mutual aid to offer. I'm not even aware of any volunteers from White Hills even though EMTs who work in Vegas live there. 

Residents in White Hills and West of US-93 must understand they are NOT in the Lake Mohave Ranchos Fire District or any fire district. They may believe they’re paying property tax to the district when they see “Fire District Assistance Tax” on their property tax bills. But this money typically just goes to reimburse departments that respond for rescue operations on state highways.

This is a map of the fire districts in our area. The big blue square is the area the LMRFD covers in Dolan Springs. The tiny blue dots above are scattered parcels and the larger blue area is the Meadview coverage area. 


Much of Meadview is not in the fire district pay no property tax yet we respond. Parcels just blocks away from the fire station are not in the fire district.


Meadview Area




Below is a map of the 2200 square mile area the LMRFD ambulance is required to cover. Why does it cover part of Coconino County? There are NO roads that even lead to that area without going through Kingman and Truxton many miles from Dolan Springs
 


Below the LMRFD 144 sm Fire District is in Blue and the 2200 sm LMFRD CON is in Red.  LMRFD's one ambulance covers an area larger than that covered by all other ambulances in the county combined


No other fire chief with such limited resources would send their ONLY ambulance 40 miles outside his fire district leaving taxpayers with nothing... 

The Taxpayers in the LMRFD Get NOTHING for their tax dollars. WHY do people outside the district get the same services?

In Arizona many fire districts operate on a subscription service charging $60 to $100+ a year. If you're not on the paid list, they don't respond.

So again be honest, would you voluntarily choose to increase your property tax by several hundred to several thousand dollars when you get the same services now at no cost? I didn't think so...










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