This is pulled from an email I received from Judy Johnston who is working tirelessly to save Providence VFD.
The following is directly from her email.
Here is the discussion, consideration AND the motion to move the process forward towards a Weddington Municipal Fire Service. Councilman Daniel Barry made the motion which Councilwoman Pamela Hadley seconded. It passed 3 to 1 with Councilman Thomisser opposed.
There still seems to be quite a lot of confusion about what this means. A municipal fire service IS NOT the same as a municipal fire department OR a municipal fire district (although we have loosely used the term “district” over the past year).
As a municipal fire service all three fire departments will be utilized unless they choose to no longer serve the residents of Weddington. The town wants to work with them and recognizes the importance of all three fire departments!
The town currently contracts with all three fire departments. As a municipal fire service all three departments will continue to contract with the town.
Fire revenue will be collected by the town instead of the county. We will NO LONGER send money to Union County for fire service. This revenue will be collected along with the Weddington property tax. Currently we all pay 3.0 cents per $100 of assessed property value to Weddington. The numbers being discussed are an additional 2.2 – 3.0 cents per $100 of assessed property value to cover fire services. That’s a combined rate of 5.2 – 6.0 cents. For those currently in the Wesley Chapel Fire District this means no to very little change in your taxes. For residents in the Providence and Stallings Fire Districts this means a larger increase because currently we only pay $100 per household for emergency coverage. I have some rate impact charts at this link: http://weddingtonfireservice.com/reference-material/documents/rate-charts/ . Refer to these charts to figure your individual change in expense.
As a municipal fire service the individual fire departments will continue to run as independent departments. The town will not need to hire additional employees or create a liaison to those departments. Ambulance and 911 calls will be dispatched and handled as they currently are handled.
Some Weddington neighborhoods will be reassigned to be served by the closest fire department. This will be done to IMPROVE emergency response time to your home!
The town recognizes the need for 24/7 fire service and wants to continue this service from the Providence Fire Department.
Enjoy the audio and if you have questions please feel free to email Mayor Walker Davidson, Councilwoman Pamela Hadley, Councilwoman Barbara Harrison, Councilman Daniel Barry, or Mayor Walker Davidson. They have put many, MANY hours of hard work into the due diligence to make sure this is the best solution for the town from both a public safety AND financial standpoint. I am more than impressed with our Mayor and the professional way he has worked through the various scenarios. Here’s a link to their addresses: http://townofweddington.com/town-government/town-council/
Of course I am also available to answer your questions to the best of my ability.
Best Regards,
Judy Johnston
