How Much Will You Pay in Fire Readiness Fees?

The last month to create an ordinance for creating fire readiness fees.

But the fiscal year 2013 budget will need approval prior to implementing the tax.

Residents who want to learn how much they will may for a fire readiness fee can check out a new website that shows the tax. Just enter your address, name or parcel number to find out.

The fire readiness/assessment fee would be paid in two tiers.

According to the city, the special assessment for each tax parcel will equal the sum $0.23 per $1,000 of the value of improvements attributed to the tax parcel by the county property appraiser plus $75 per tax parcel. 

"Call it a tax, call it a penalty," Mayor Bill Foster said at a July Council meeting. "I’m not Justice (John) Roberts, I’m not going to define what it is. When we use the money to fund a fire readiness function, it (allows) us to use other general revenue monies on something else." 

If approved in September, the fire tax would go into effect on Oct. 1.