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Fire District Directors Adopt Balanced Budget |
Fire Chief Russ Mason announced that the Board of Directors of Central County Fire and Rescue adopted by resolution a balanced operating budget for 2006. The District placed a number of cost cutting measures in place in 2003 and has been making steady progress in reducing the District's deficit over the last three years. "The spending controls will remain in place in 2006," Chief Mason said. Employees of the District have agreed to a freeze in hourly wages for the fourth consecutive year. David Tilley, Chairman of the Board of Directors stated that "the elected officials, administration and employees of the district have worked very hard to reach this point of financial strength for the District." The deficit situation was created by the combination of accelerating expenses of the district's consolidation and lower than projected income growth due to economic conditions of the previous 4 years. The District set its General Fund tax levy at $0.4893 cents per One Hundred ($100) Dollars assessed valuation for general operating expenses back in August of 2005. The rate is $0.11 cents less that the $0.60 cents rate approved by voters when the District was formed in 1998. The combined General Operating, Pension and Debt Service rate for 2005 is $0.5742 which is $0.0758 less than the $0.65 combined rate approved at the time of consolidation. |
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