Title
A Resolution Of The City Commission Of The City Of Hollywood, Florida, Relating To The Provision Of Fire Rescue Services, Facilities And Programs In The City Of Hollywood, Florida; Establishing The Estimated Assessment Rate For Fire Rescue Assessments For The Fiscal Year Beginning October 1, 2020; Directing The Preparation Of An Assessment Roll; Authorizing A Public Hearing And Directing The Provision Of Notice Thereof; Providing For Conflicts And Severability.
Strategic Plan Focus
Financial Management & Administration
Body
Staff Recommends: Approval of the attached Resolution.
Explanation:
In June 1996, the City of Hollywood imposed a fire rescue non-ad valorem assessment to provide funding for the City’s fire rescue services, facilities and programs beginning in FY 1997. The City has reimposed the fire rescue assessment in every fiscal year since FY 1997. The assessment pays for a portion of the cost of fire rescue services provided to properties located in the City of Hollywood. The remainder of the cost is funded from other City revenue sources.
The annual fire rescue non-ad valorem assessment is levied against all assessed residential and non-residential properties in the City (with the exception of wholly tax-exempt government properties and institutional properties, or of those portions of government properties and institutional properties that are tax-exempt, and vacant land parcels), and appears on each property owner’s annual property tax bill as a non-ad valorem assessment.
The Preliminary Rate Resolution, as defined in and required by Ordinance O-96-17, initiates the annual process for updating the assessment roll and reimposing the fire rescue assessment. The Preliminary Rate Resolution sets forth the estimated fire rescue assessment rate schedule and the estimated amount of revenue to be provided by the assessment for FY 2021.
During the current fire rescue rate study, two changes were made. The first was an exemption for totally and permanently disabled first responders and veterans as a result of a service related injury, a total savings to those affected in the amount of $61,812.00. The second change was the modification and expansion of non-residential rate tiers to further enhance the equitable distribution of costs with the first four tiers set at 2,500 SF increments, followed by increments of 10,000 SF up to 100,000 SF and two 25,000 SF tier increments from 100,000 to 125,000 SF and 125,000 to 150,000 SF.
The required Public Hearing will be held on September 14, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. Notification of the public hearing will be mailed to all property owners by August 24, 2020 by the Broward County Property Appraiser as part of the TRIM notice.
Fiscal Impact:
We are recommending that the residential rate for FY 2021 remain at $285, which is the same rate as FY 2020. This will result in a projected fire rescue assessment roll to be collected of approximately $28,648,000.00. Setting the fire rescue assessment rates at this level will fund approximately 93% of the total assessable costs of providing fire rescue services based on the point and time rate study updated during FY 2020.
Total revenue budgeted in the Proposed FY 2021 Budget for the Fire Rescue Assessment is $27,216,000.00, which is 95% of the total anticipated revenues of $28,648,000.00.
Recommended for inclusion on the agenda by:
Cintya Ramos, Director of Financial Services Department
Rodolfo Jurado, Fire Chief
Adam Reichbach, Assistant City Manager for Finance and Administration