The City of Cleveland is hosting a crucial town hall meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 27, at the Cleveland Civic Center to address a growing concern regarding fire service. This meeting aims to hear directly from citizens about the increasing financial burden the city faces in providing fire protection.
Currently, Liberty County provides the City of Cleveland with $91,000 annually to cover fire service within the fire district, which includes Cleveland, its Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ), and some areas outside the city. However, the projected cost for fire service this year alone is expected to exceed $600,000, creating a significant financial strain.
Cleveland City Manager Scott Swigert highlighted the gravity of the situation, stating, “The City does not have that kind of money. Council is wanting to know if our citizens have any suggestions. What are their thoughts? Do they want us to continue providing fire service for areas outside of the City, or do they want that to stop? Is there something they can do or are willing to do to help?”
Contrary to popular belief, the increased financial burden is not due to the rapid growth in Colony Ridge or Plum Grove, as these areas are mainly served by the Plum Grove Volunteer Fire Department. While Cleveland provides mutual aid to these areas upon request, the bulk of the expenses stem from within Cleveland itself, Swigert said. As growth in the fire district continues, calls for service have surged.
Swigert explained, “Right now we respond to every call the same way. Everything is treated the same. There might be things we can reduce, but what are those things? What are the citizens comfortable with?”
One potential solution that may be discussed is the creation of a new fire district to help alleviate Cleveland’s burden.
“The City Council has said we can’t accept the $91,000 from the County. We need to come up with a fair compensation for our services. This needs to be fair to both sides,” Swigert said.
The city manager expressed hope that county officials will attend the town hall meeting to participate in the discussion, as collaboration between the city and county is essential for finding a viable solution.
“The money that we are having to spend on fire service would be better spent increasing the salaries of our police staff. We understand that budgets are tight everywhere and funds are limited. That’s one of the big concerns, but we cannot afford to continue providing fire services to the whole area on the backs of the citizens of Cleveland.”
All Cleveland residents and those with an interest in this issue are invited to attend the meeting and share their thoughts and suggestions. Citizen participation is vital in helping the City find a fair and sustainable solution.
I no longer live down there so here is what I think do A half cent sales tax with that half cent going directly to the fire department.. Using a sales tax means that all citizens are paying in not just land owners..The first time you have a citizen burn to death from no fire fighters the whole entire point become moot
U built a new fire house by the bypass out of town u did not think the price was going to go up??
Dan that’s so those half million dollar homes insurance will be cheaper. Didn’t the developer donate the land?
Like the rest of Liberty County, Cleveland needs to follow the lead of Harris, Montgomery, and San Jacinto counties and create an Emergency Services District for the areas it serves outside of the city limits.
$91,000 is nothing when it comes to running a fire department. That won’t even cover the cost of a new brush truck. And it’s not just CVFD, Tarkington, Plum Grove and others desperately need an ESD to keep up with growth. Donations and fundraisers, along with the pittance from the County, no longer cut it.
Also, most of the growth, especially commercial and industrial, is coming outside the city limits.
what they are not telling you is that the charge for response. so its 91k plus what they bill owners
So the city can no longer bare the burden, and naturally they want to tax the people for it, yes sir more taxes will fix everything
John like the County they will give themselves a big raise for fixing the money problem.