Lakeview Fire Protection District needs your support. The current rate schedule was established in 2003. Our area has seen tremendous growth since that time. The District now cover 26 sq miles and close to 3000 homes. The District also includes heavily traveled sections of interstates 20/59, several truck stops, an elementary school, rail lines, and responds to an average of 1000 calls a year. This page was created to provide our members with an overview of the District, how we operate,how we use your current dues and plans for the future. Right now there is no scheduled vote or ballot. Our goal is to give the community enough information to make an informed decision on raising dues. Questions? Check out our FAQ section. If you still have questions, need more information or just want to provide feedback, please message us or send us an email. Thank you.
If you are new the area, check out our “New to the area” page to for a quick primer on the District.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are fire dues mandatory?
Why are fire dues mandatory?
Lakeview Fire Protection District is a fire district. Fire district’s are independent of any cities or other local governments, even if they provide service to city residents. Fire districts do not receive any municipal funding since they are not part of a city or town government. Instead fire districts are legally allowed to charge a fee commonly called fire dues. A fire district cannot form unless the citizens in the proposed area vote on the formation of the district and a fee. Once the district and fee are approved the members of the district must approve any rate change by another election. For more information on fire districts visit our “Fire District” section on the documents page.
What happens when someone doesn’t pay?
Anyone exempt from paying property tax will be exempt from paying fire dues on that same property. Failure to pay by non exempt property owners can result in legal action including placing a lien against the property. Liens are placed against the property. If the person owning the property doesn’t pay the liens and the property changes to a new owner either by inheritance or sale, the liens stay with the property. Most liens are paid when the property changes ownership or during a refinance. The business office make multiple attempts to collect payments before any legal action is taken. There are options for those who cannot pay due to a hardship including payment plans or petitioning for a hardship waiver.
If everyone paid would we need to raise dues?
District collects between 70% to 80% of the annual dues The total amount billed for the October 2021 to September 2022 billing cycle was $220,308.70. We collected $169,554.83 during the billing cycle. We collected $31,567.54 in back dues (dues prior to 2021). The total amount of dues collected during this time period was $201,122.24. The rest of the budget comes from things like grants, donations, and fees. Even if everyone paid and there was no such thing as back dues, the fire district would only bring in $220,308.70. Click more information on our current budget and rate schedule.
When will a new rate schedule vote be announced?
There is no date date for an election. Right now we are just providing information to community.
How are our dues used and is there any over site?
The district has a quick look financial summary updated each month for the community to follow. This is only to give a broad overview and does not take the place of audited financial records. We have annual audits and make the results available to the public on the website. Lakeview Fire is a 501(c)3 non profit and files a 990 tax return. These are available on the IRS website and at the Business office. additional funding.
Why does the district need more money?
We encourage the community to look at our budget and spending and the services we provide. Lakeview Fire responds to similar types and amounts of calls as surrounding fire services, only Lakeview operates on less than 1/5 the budget. We currently employ one fire fighter per shift. We do not provide any benefits. There is a nation wide decline in volunteers and Lakeview responds to around 1000 calls per year. Our fleet is aging. We are stretching our budget and working with what is available but that budget is 20 years old. In order to keep salaries competitive, offer more services, replace aging equipment, and move the District forward, we need additional funding. Click here for a comparison of services.