AP fire department resuscitated

Highlands Today (Sebring, FL)

Sept. 15--AVON PARK -- Joann Kramer said she was grateful for the Avon Park City Council's decision to continue funding the city's fire department for at least the next three months.

During the Avon Park City Council Regular Meeting Monday, in front of an overflow audience of about 200, the council voted 4-1 to spend about $120,000 of approximately $1.4 million in contingency funds to maintain the Avon Park Fire Department (APFD) at full capacity for three months.

In the early morning of Aug. 1, 2012, Greg and Joann Kramer of Highlands Lakes were awakened by the screaming of their 2-year-old grandson, Klayton Lehman. The toddler heard commotion outside his bedroom window, woke up and his hollering alerted the Kramers of the fire that had ignited on their pickup truck and spread to the attic.

During the Avon Park City Council meeting Monday, in front of an overflow audience of about 200, Joann Kramer told the city council it took about a half hour for the Highlands Lakes Volunteer Fire Department to respond -- their Barclay Road home was a total loss.

At the 6 p.m. meeting, which lasted just over four hours, Kramer and about 30 residents and business owners made direct, sometimes impassioned, pleas to the city council and City Manager Julian Deleon to find a way to salvage the fire department from downsizing or possibly shuttering.

Sept. 9, 11 of 15 full-time firefighters with the Avon Park Fire Department were summarily dismissed from their duties. The layoffs were made as the city's fire operations were reduced by about $860,000 for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 due to the failure by the city Aug. 24 to adopt fire assessment fees from residents and businesses.

The council's override of Deleon's attempt to fill the budget gap was emotional for Kramer, who said if it wasn't for her grandson's crying, "we wouldn't be here today." She said she respected the volunteer departments, but they couldn't replace the availability of a full-time, professionally-staffed fire department.

"You're doing a great disservice to the people of this city by letting this (fire assessment) go. You need to find a solution," she implored the council, as tears welled in her eyes.

Around 9:45 p.m., after over 3 hours of discussion and listening to audience members -- almost all of whom urged the council to find a solution for staffing the fire department -- Councilman Parke Sutherland motioned for a vote to fund the APFD "in an amount sufficient to fund the department as presently staffed prior to any staff layoffs," After a second by Councilman Terry Heston, the motion passed unanimously.

In front of the audience and council, Deleon abruptly left the meeting about 20 minutes before it ended at 11 p.m. Tuesday, he said it was the fourth attempt by the city to update the fire assessment since 2014.

"I left early because I was disgusted. I don't believe in utilizing contingency funds. I believe in paying for what we can afford," he said.

Tuesday morning, Deleon said he had contacted the city's fire assessment attorneys and consultants to schedule a conference call to again look at the fire assessment formation process.

"It was the fourth time we've spent funds trying to update a (fire assessment) methodology that's antiquated," he said.

Some in the audience chided Deleon for laying off 80 percent of the fire department before the city council voted on the budget. During the meeting, a resolution establishing a tentative budget and a first reading establishing a budget ordinance for 2015-16 passed 5-0, and a resolution setting a tentative millage rate passed 4-1, with Councilman Garrett Anderson voting "no."

Next the possible resuscitation of the fire assessment fee will occur within two weeks, said Deleon. A 20-day notice for a public hearing on the fire assessment based on new assessment figures by St. Augustine-based local government rate and financial planning consulting firm Burton & Associates will be mailed out.

The original assessment supported lowering the residential category fire assessment rate from $140 to $128 per unit for the fiscal year. Government institutional, Industrial and commercial rates were based on a structure's square feet. For 2016, the rate would have been about 7 cents per square foot for government-institutional buildings, 10 cents for industrial-warehouse and 14 cents for commercial.

After telling the city council he lives with his 12-year-old epileptic daughter and two brothers with cerebral palsy, Brad Haislip, 40, said the council needed to "have a heart" and the citizens made "sure you get a paycheck." He then went a step further.

"I'm going to ask you to resign because you have destroyed this city," he said to Deleon.

After listening to resident Paul Miller and a brief break, Deleon responded, saying: "While we're waiting, I won't resign. I'm here if you need me," he said.

Tuesday morning, it was business as usual at the fire department, 98 S. Delaney Ave. As firefighters checked over parked engines, Capt. Warren West, International Association of Fire Fighters 3132 -- who had called an "emergency meeting" of the labor union Sept. 1 following the layoffs -- went over a daily checklist. He said be was "proud" of Avon Park Mayor Sharon Schuler and Counclman Garrett Anderson, who has been a steady advocate for transferring money within the budget to keep the fire department functioning.

"I'm proud of all the citizens of Avon Park standing up and listening to the issue and knowing their (homeowners insurance) rate would have gone up if we were gone," he said.

The final budget hearing at the City Council Chambers, 123 E. Pine St., has been changed from Sept. 28, to 6 p.m., Sept. 25 due to the absence of an official.

Maria Sutherland, city director of administrative services, said the new budget must be approved or "government gets shut down." The Sept. 14 agenda was revised requesting a Special Meeting Sept. 25 "to ensure we have the time we need to get the budget passed as required by statute."

pcatala@highlandstoday.com

(863) 386-5855

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