&bsp;
The Sunny View Fire and Rescue Department has dropped its request for a fire district tax increase this year.
A public hearing on the request next Tuesday in Sunny View has been cancelled.
The Polk County Board of Commissioners cancelled the hearing last week after Sunny View Fire Chief Marty McGuinn said his department has withdrawn its request.
The department initially asked for a one cent tax increase to attempt to lower its ISO rating for lower homeowners insurance.
With the one cent increase, or about $50,000, the department was going to add water sources with additional ponds and dry hydrants.
After discussion with commissioners, Sunny View fire then said it would take a smaller increase or 3/10 of a cent.
The 3/10 of a cent would have put the department back to its revenue from this year after the county approved new first district areas. Without that increase, Sunny View now stands to receive $4,335 less next fiscal year.
“After a great deal of deliberation by Board of Directors of Sunny View Fire & Rescue we feel that regardless of the outcome of a public hearing in the matter of our request to increase the fire tax rate in Coopers Gap township, we do not have the support of the Board of County Commissioners to approve such an increase and the only outcome would be to damage the integrity and reputation of the fire department,” Chief McGuinn wrote in a letter to the county last week. “The Board of Directors would like to withdraw the request for additional funding at this time and will operate on the budget as it was proposed.”
Polk commissioners are now considering a 7/10 of a cent tax increase for the Columbus Fire Department because the Columbus department is expected to get almost $32,000 less in tax revenue from the redistricting.
All other fire departments should see increases in revenue from the redistricting.
The new county budget for fiscal year 2011-2012 will begin July 1. A public hearing on the new budget will be held on June 14. The county is proposing no other tax increases.