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PRESS
ARTICLES
Date
Title
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7/14/97 Beware the blank check of special
fire fee
REPRINTED
FROM THE MIAMI HERALD
THE
READER'S FORUM
Miami-Dade's
proposed special assessment for fire services, like a blank
check, is too dangerous. The ordinance is on tomorrow's Metro
Commission agenda for second reading.
Some
say that this fee is to pay for $59 million in bonds that
voters authorized in 1994 to build 10 new fire stations. But
documents sent to affected taxpayers, the county manager's
report, and the ordinance itself do not identify capital improvements
to be paid for by this fee. On the contrary, the documents
indicate that the revenue is to be used for operations.
Moreover,
the manager's report creates the impression that this assessment
sets up a parallel new tax, increasing from collections of
$10 million in Year One to approximately $100 million. This
threatens critical safeguards against government abuse of
taxpayer's rights.
The
dangers of this open-ended special assessment are:
What
happens after Year Five, and how much more will this assessment
grow is neither defined nor limited.
The payment schedule is regressive. Some owners are not charged
for all of their property's size or are exempted, creating
a windfall for them while burdening those least able to pay.
Amendment
10 is ignored. This assessment creates potential payments
above the legal millage increases.
The
constitutional limit of [1]0 mils of property value is violated.
The assessment, added to other taxes, is not capped and not
limited by statute.
The
three-mill cap on fire services is abandoned. This fee is
being added over the existing millage, will increase it, and
could end up doubling or more the collections for fire.
Whereas
property taxes may be contested through the Value Adjustment
Board or in court, special assessments may not. Thus voters
have no defense against unwarranted increases.
Until
and unless these issues are addressed with sufficient time
for full and adequate public investigation and disclosure,
this ordinance should be tabled immediately at the least,
or defeated entirely.
Sheila
M. Anderson
Miami
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