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In the 1990s, Janet Vasey first took on the then North Naples Fire District over an expensive piece of land it was eyeing for a new station.
Since then the retired federal budget analyst has questioned from the sidelines the district’s taxes, spending and merger plans.
But a proposal to significantly change the way the district raises money has pushed her over the edge.
“It’s been 20 years. It’s time to put up or shut up,” Vasey said after filing papers to run for a seat on the North Collier Fire District board.
More:Here's where you can attend a fire fee town hall meeting
Vasey’s main issue is a request, appearing on the Aug. 28 ballot, to lower the property tax and in its place institute a fire assessment fee on properties in the district.
The change would result in a lower bill for some but a higher bill for others, potentially including schools and government buildings, that had paid nothing to the fire district before.
Vasey isn’t standing alone against the change.
A political action committee, No Blank Check, has formed to oppose the idea.
Made up of residents of Bentley Village, a retirement community that would see its fire assessments go up under the North Collier proposal, the PAC has raised more than $10,000 in its first week.
More:North Collier fire district board to vote on fire fee referendum
Pam Fultz, community relations manager at Bentley Village, said she is amazed at the way people have rallied against the fee.
“You don’t see residents coming together like this,” Fultz said. "They’re bound and determined they’re going to get their voices heard. They’re a very motivated force."
Steve Demidovich, a Bentley Village resident and chairman of the PAC, said the group has been passing out information in the community and will do a mailing to voters throughout the North Collier district.
North Collier Assistant Fire Chief Sal D’Angelo said the numbers being used by the PAC are speculative and that fire commissioners have no intention of socking schools or governments with a bill. He is working with Bentley Village and similar communities to lessen the bite.
Bentley Village has always been taxed based on property values. The new system, a lower property tax plus a fee based on square footage, could result in an increase of almost $600,000 per year, Demidovich fears.
That would translate to about $700 per resident.
“That kind of number just doesn’t make sense,” he said.
More:Foes of fire fee turn out, but North Collier board OKs it for August ballot
Additionally, there’s no guarantee fire commissioners wouldn’t raise the property tax rate in the future. The square-footage fee could also be increased without further voter approval, Demidovich said.
The district’s annual budget is now about $35 million.
“They would have the ability to boost revenue by $15 million,” he said. “They don’t need more money, they need to spend it more wisely.”
The new fee is envisioned as a way to make the district’s revenue less susceptible to the ups and downs in the property tax base. Local governments relying on property taxes took a hit around 2009, after values plummeted when the real estate bubble burst.
One goal is to make district income proportional to calls for service.
For example, a district study shows 68 percent of calls are to residences, so 68 percent of the district budget should come from homeowners.
But the new formula could result in some eye-popping changes, according to Diane Halas, a No Blank Check organizer who did an analysis based on the district’s data.
For instance, schools in the North Collier area, which now pay nothing to the fire district, could be hit with annual assessments of about $560,000.
County government facilities, also currently exempt, could pay $235,000.
More:Foes of fire fee turn out, but North Collier board OKs it for August ballot
The fire district’s own properties could be faced with a $50,000 fee.
“All this stuff comes back to the county residents as another tax,” Vasey said.
D’Angelo said it is the intention of the fire board to keep such entities exempt from taxes and fees. He acknowledged the board could change that policy in the future but doubts it will happen.
“Can you imagine the fire commission charging the county government? I don’t see the board doing that,” he said.
The latest incarnation of the proposal has a lower increase for Bentley Village residents, although D’Angelo acknowledged there will be an increase.
“We’re working with them,” he said.
By law, the district can’t advocate for or against a ballot issue. However, D’Angelo said it is trying to educate voters about the plan, emailing and meeting with homeowner associations and using a website, educate.northcollierfire.com.
The union representing North Collier firefighters can advocate for the change and is considering doing just that, union President Chris Spencer said.
The union already has a PAC, Pelican Bay 20/20, that has been active in previous elections.
Spencer said there isn’t much time to try to sway voters before Aug. 28.
“The window is really short,” he said.
More:North Collier Fire proposal would raise fees for many businesses
Vasey said the fire board has let residents down in the past. For example, funding formulas promised prior to North Naples’ merger with the Big Corkscrew Fire District in 2014 weren’t adhered to, she said.
So she doesn’t trust the board not to implement higher fees on any number of properties in North Collier.
In November, nine candidates will be challenging three incumbents for seats on the fire board. That’s evidence that dissatisfaction with the district goes beyond just Bentley Village, Vasey believes.
“I think that is very representative of the fact that people are not happy,” she said.
Connect with Brent Batten at brent.batten@naplesnews.com, on Twitter @NDN_BrentBatten and at facebook.com/ndnbrentbatten.
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