Fire Assessment Sparks Heated Commission Meeting

NEWBERRY – The Newberry City Commission at he Aug. 26, 2024, meeting put one agenda item on hold. Among other matters, the final adoption of the City’s Fire Assessment Rates for the coming year was scheduled for a vote. However, a large increase in the Industrial category from $0.06 per square foot to $0.23 per square foot had Commissioners and some business owners in sticker shock.

During the current year, the City of Newberry contracted Anser Advisory to calculate the apportionment of fire service costs to ensure those costs are fairly spread across all users of the City’s fire service. This is a standard best practice every 5-7 years.

The study returned with a higher call volume and response time generated by commercial and industrial users, meaning that more of the fire assessment is being proposed against those user types. Preliminarily adopted rates for FY25 were initially set at $0.23 per square foot.

However, it is well known in the community and revealed in the report that one business is responsible for the higher call volume/response time noted by Anser Advisory.

A number of business owners expressed their displeasure to the Commission in having their rates increased by $0.17 per square foot because of one business owner. The Commission agreed and discussed a few options for change to the category that might be fairer to all business owners.

Potentially reducing rates led to concern and discussion about a reduced assessment amount to the City’s FY 2024-25 Fire Services budget. Newberry Assistant City Manager and CFO Dallas Lee said that a reduction in rates would cause a budget shortfall, but the City could make it up if that’s what the Commission opted to do.

The Commission failed to take action on the rate structure at the Aug. 26 meeting but did task City Staff to look at options and to present their findings at the Sept. 9, 2024, Commission meeting for consideration and final approval.

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