Falling donations after ESD passage leave VFW’s in bind

Commissioner Mark Ivey (foreground) and a Precinct 3 road and bridge crew work to repair a portion of CR 314. Commissioners throughout the county ask for patience as they work on roads damaged by the winter snowstorms and spring rains. Van'Go'photo Volunteer fire departments in the northeastern portion of Leon County may be finding the creation of ESD #4 to be a mixed blessing -- at least at the present time. In the minds of local residents, they are already doing their part to support the VFDs and may therefore be less generous in their donations. BVFD Fire Chief Shaine Reeder confirmed, “We haven’t received hardly any donations at all -- and we could sure use them.”

The taxing entity was voted into being last year and revenues will begin to be collected in 2010 and first disbursed in 2011. The district is currently operating on borrowed funds and will have done so for 1-1/2 years by the time the tax receipts become available accumulating an estimated $450,000 debt. The initial revenue collected, anticipated to be $485,000, will not be available to the individual fire departments because it will be applied to the ESD’s operating expenses and existing debt, according to an announcement at last week’s ESD #4 Board meeting. They predict that the tax funds will not be available to the fire departments in any measurable amounts until 2014. The bottom line, therefore, is that the Buffalo, Oakwood and Flo VFDs will have to continue to depend on community support.

At the time the other ESDs in the county were created, Palestine Hospital provided ambulance service, but that was withdrawn last April when the hospital determined it to be non-profitable to keep an ambulance in this area. This left the northeast portion of the county without ambulance service and ESD #4 contracted with Legacy EMS to provide coverage for the area.