Lake View Voters Deciding On Increased Fire Protection Dues Today

LAKE VIEW, AL — Voters in the City of Lake View in Tuscaloosa County are casting ballots today concerning an increase in fire protection dues to provide much-needed equipment and better salaries for the Lake View Fire District.

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If passed, non-commercial properties will be charged $1 for every $1,000 on the improvement market value. For example, if the resident's home is valued at $150,000, then that tax payer would be required to pay a $150 fire fee each year.

As it drummed up support for the measure, the Lake View Fire District previously pointed out that the district is growing rapidly, resulting in more dues being paid. However, fire officials stressed that residents typically pay $75 per home annually at present. For mobile homes, that amount is often less.

"That $75 is per house not per person," the Lake View Fire District said earlier this month. "Many of you may have heard that 200 new homes are expected in the Preserve area. Those 200 homes don’t necessarily mean 200 people. If each house has three occupants, they still pay $75 a year, yet we have 600 people to respond to stretching our already stretched resources."

The additional revenue generated by the increase to fire protection dues would also be used for achieving Advanced Life Support (ALS) certification for the department — a status it does not currently hold. Separately, Lake View Fire currently only has one paid firefighter per shift, for a department that reportedly answered 1,017 calls in 2020 alone.

The Tuscaloosa County Tax Assessor’s Office said this week it has received multiple calls from taxpayers concerning the election, with many wondering why the county could not collect a flat fire fee as opposed to a rate based on the market price of the home.

"While it is true, we have never had that proposed before, if it were a simple flat fee it could be done," the Tax Assessor's Office said. "However, for example, a fee for certain length mobile homes and a different fee for larger mobile homes was not practical because there is not a searchable field to query that information from."

Other highlights to know

• Lake View Fire District will provide the county with the commercial property parcels to be billed at the rate of $3 for every $1000 on the improvement market value.
• The vote is for the 2022 tax year, with a lien date of Oct. 1, 2021.
• If passed, officials will collect 2022 taxes and fire fee Oct. 1, 2022 through Dec. 31, 2022.
• Polls close at 7 p.m.
• Be sure to follow us here for updates once results come in.

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