Bell County Volunteer Fire Department to collect subscribers fee in 2012 [Middlesboro Daily News, Ky.]

Dec. 27--BELL COUNTY -- Bell Countians will be asked to consider adding a fire department subscribers fee to their budgets in the new year.

In a notice issued to media on Monday by Assistant Fire Chief David Miracle, the fire department states, in part:

"The Bell County Volunteer Fire Department would like to inform the citizens of Bell County that effective January 1, 2012, the BCVFD will be collecting an annual subscribers fee for the fire department. This is a voluntary fee and is in no way mandatory. The BCVFD will not deny our services to anyone. The subscriber fee will be as listed below:

Single Family Dwelling -- $60 per year

Farm with Structures -- $75 per year

Businesses and Multi Family Dwellings -- $150 per year

Vacant Land -- $30 per year

All churches, schools and government property will be exempted."

Miracle stated that the fire department would like to be funded entirely through a mandatory subscribers fee and claimed that BCVFD representatives had proposed that in Bell County Fiscal Court (BCFC) in the past.

The BCVFD and the BCFC have been in and out of court for five years due to changes in county ordinances that now requires the BCVFD to submit receipts for reimbursement, rather than receiving an allotted amount each year with little accountability.

The BCVFD collectively says that they are not owned by the county and have no indebtedness to tax payers.

"We own it," Miracle said, "We are a 5013c non-profit corporation." He also likened the BCVFD to a paving company that would be used contractually by the county.

Bell County Judge Executive Albey Brock disagrees, as he has many times in this long-running argument. "Since the fire department's inception, the taxpayer has given them over $6 million," Brock said. "They are a non-profit group established to provide service."

Since the BCVFD has closed two of the nine stations (Colmar and Arjay stations were closed mid-December) in the county, Brock says funding will be halted. "At this point, we can't fund them, if they're closing stations."

Brock also questioned the legality of a mandatory subscribers fee, if the BCVFD were to officially propose one.

"That's something the public would have to vote on," he said.

Miracle explained that payment or non-payment of a subscribers fee would never effect the service provided by the BCVFD, but did say that it could effect costs for the homeowner if the BCVFD responds to their home.

After responding to calls in 2012, the department will bill a subscriber's insurance company for costs incurred during a call and if there's anything the insurance does not pay, then the subscriber will not be liable. However, if the BCVFD responds to a call of a non-subscriber and the insurance company doesn't pay the bill or a portion of the bill, the remaining balance will be the responsibility of the non-subscriber. And if the BCVFD responds to a call of a non-subscriber without insurance, the non-subscriber will be responsible for the entire bill.

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