The City of DeKalb is looking at the creation of fees for city-provided emergency response services. So are many other municipalities in Illinois. In fact, a pending Bill (SB2637), would amend the Illinois Municipal Code to allow municipalities to charge “reasonable fees” to provide emergency services to non-residents.
The DeKalb proposal passed on first reading at the July 12, 2010 regular City Council meeting. It is on the agenda of the July 26, 2010 meeting for second reading and approval.
From pages 186-196 of the July 26 agenda:
[..]Cost recovery for fire based emergency response services is gaining in both acceptance and necessity across Illinois. The downturn in the economy has accelerated the need for Fire Departments to offset their costs by considering to fund the cost of emergency responses through cost recovery. The demand for timely and competent response has increased, while the ability to fund these same responses has become difficult in shrinking public budgets. The creation of fees for fire based emergency response services is one way to try and fund these critical functions.[..]
Ahhh, the dubious dichotomy of government services. The ability to fund public service emergency responses has become difficult in shrinking public budgets. Those budgets are shrinking because those that generate tax revenues are suffocating under a burden of taxes and fees that grow regardless of their economy.
Some of the aforementioned taxpayers are looking at this proposal and wondering, “What are we paying taxes for?”
One sentence in the back-up material stood out more than most…
Since the City of DeKalb is a home rule community, these fees can be enacted as policy.
That’s one more example of how a home rule community can diversify its funding mechanisms. It’s also an example of how residents of a home rule community can pay more taxes and fees.
The concept that non-residents should pay for public service emergency response service has merit among those wondering what their taxes pay for. But user fees for core public service should only be considered as replacement revenue (taxes lowered equivalently) and not as additional revenue. Otherwise there is no hope for public sector fiscal accountability.
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4 Comments
The back up materials disappeared and all that is up since yesterday morning is a ten-page "revised agenda" and the fire fees do not seem to be on it anymore.
???
Thats about how I got it figured, Max. That or we accept the tax increases whenever costs exceed revenue. The choice of finding someone who could do it for less just ain't offered by those who would never think of such a thing. Especially when they're in control. Home rule. City Manager form of government. One of the two gots to go.
One more example of making it up as you go. Everyone still think Home Rule is/was a good idea? if this passes it opens a pandora's box. Plowing by the street by size or snow fall amount? Meter reading by the hour? Where would this end?
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P.S. I like the pastel colors of the corn and Altgeld Hall graphic.