An agreement has been reached between the city of Arkansas City and Cowley County for fire protection for rural Fire District No. 5, it was announced this morning.
The 5-year contract is expected to be signed by county commissioners and Ark City commissioners during meetings Tuesday night.
The district encompasses nearly 200 square miles and has 3,000 911 “address points”, which include both homes and businesses, according to Ark City Fire Chief Randy Leach. It is a large area that begins on the southern edge of Strother Field and runs south to the state line and from the Sumner County line to west of the Cowley County State Lake.
The fire department has been providing the rural service since the rural districts were established across the county more than 25 years ago.
Property owners in the district are taxed to raise the funds to pay for the service. A seven- member board of trustees appointed by the commission has been supervising the service while the commission approved the mill levy and budget for the district.
Ark City wanted to raise the amount of the contract this year. The board of trustees didn’t want to pay it, preferring to hire a Chicago-based company. When the county commission wanted the board to continue negotiating with Ark City, the board resigned during a meeting May 1.
On May 8, the commission rescinded the resolution that created the board and the commission assumed supervisor powers.
Collectively, property owners in Rural Fire District 5 will be taxed 7 mills for each of the first three years of the new 5-year agreement. The district will pay 7.5 mills the final two years of the agreement and pay the city a lump sum payment of approximately $50,000 when the new agreement goes into effect Jan. 1, 2008.
District 5 currently pays 3.835 mills and the year before paid 5.7 mills, according to Cowley County Clerk Karen Brooks.
The agreement was announced Monday morning by Ark City Mayor Dorothy Smith and Cowley County commission chair Dick Bonfy. Both commissions meet in regular session Tuesday night and are expected to formally approve the agreement, the press release states.
The owner of a $100,000 home will pay roughly $80.50 annually or $6.71 per month for fire protection and related services, the press release states.
This current year, the district is paying Ark City $160,000 for fire service. The city originally sought $229,000 in the proposed new agreement. Seven mills is expected to generate $199,593 in 2008, according to Cowley County Administrator Leroy Alsup.
The amount of money one mill will generate varies from year to year as the valuation -or worth- of the county varies.
The projected annual payments to Ark City will range from $199,593 in 2008 to $249,054 in 2012. The average annual cost over the five-year period is expected to be $234,139.
The majority of the residents of the district who talked with commissioners wanted the keep the service Ark City provides, Bonfy said in the press release. They also wanted a long-term contract that established a steady price for the services instead of being “subject(ed) to the ups and downs” of the annual negotiations. The two primary objectives are being met through the new agreement, Bonfy said.
The structure of the new agreement allows for an incremental increase in the amount assessed the district while still meeting the interests of the city, Smith said. The agreement also provides a long-term, stable commitment by both parties to ensure top quality fire protection services throughout the community, she said.
A board of trustees appointed by the county commission did oversee the fire district. All of the board members resigned after the city asked for the price hike. The trustees wanted to hire a Chicago-based company to provide the service. The commission wanted them to continue negotiations with the city.
