Residents facing levies in four Sebastian County fire protection districts
FORT SMITH — Residents of four fire protection districts in Sebastian County can expect to see something extra on their real estate tax statements this year.
Commissioners of the Big Creek and Riverdale fire protection districts in Lavaca and the Milltown-Washburn and Greenwood Rural fire protection districts in Greenwood established new levies ranging from $25 to $80 per parcel, according to County Assessor Zach Johnson.
Johnson said he received confirmation of the levy amounts by Dec. 18, with final confirmation coming from County Administrator Jeff Turner.
The levies will be included in real estate property tax statements issued in March and April, said Steve Hotz, the county’s treasurer and collector.
The Quorum Court in September authorized the conversion of the four fire departments from 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations to fire protection districts.
Nathan Mendenhall, a Fort Smith-based lawyer who represents the fire departments, said prior to the conversion, the departments collected about 25% to 30% of voluntary membership dues in any given year from property owners. The new arrangement will make membership dues mandatory.
Getting appropriate money is a constant battle for rural volunteer fire departments and having mandatory dues — even if some don’t pay — is “going to change their world,” Mendenhall said.
“It’s going to be such a boost not only just to the economic circumstances they face, but also to their morale, I believe,” Mendenhall said.
There are 4,358 real estate parcels in the four districts. All but 28 are commercial parcels; the rest are residential, according to the assessor’s office.
Nominations for people to serve as commissioners for each fire protection district were approved during a public meeting Dec. 1. Each board has five members.
The four boards appointed three assessors to review and determine the district’s levy. The levies were submitted to the Sebastian County assessor, according to Sebastian County Judge David Hudson’s executive report for last month’s Quorum Court meeting.
“The board of commissioners may assess a flat fee per parcel of land, per acre or per landowner,” the ordinance states. “The board of commissioners may establish a different flat fee for the classification of property as commercial, residential or as unimproved property.”
Financial records from the four fire districts show each one received less in revenue than it spent in 2019 and had to use carryover money to cover expenses.
The Big Creek Fire Department, for example, received $49,868, including voluntary membership dues, county sales tax money, grants, donations and state money in 2019. The department had expenses of $73,567.
Big Creek commissioners estimated by setting their levy at $40 for residents and $80 for businesses, they would collect more than $72,000, which combined with state money would add up to more than $80,000 in revenue per year, according to a letter the commissioners wrote last month to Hudson.
Hotz said Sebastian County will assess a 2% commission on the new fire district dues to cover the administrative costs of billing, collecting and distributing dues for the fire districts.
The Milltown-Washburn and Greenwood Rural fire departments are in District 2 in Sebastian County. Jackie Davis, a Republican, represents the district on the Quorum Court.
Davis said he received positive feedback regarding the levies from the few constituents who have spoken to him on the matter. He, too, favors the levies, believing they will benefit the fire departments.
The Big Creek and Riverdale fire departments are in District 1, which is represented by Johnny Hobbs. Hobbs, who also serves on the Riverdale Fire District Board, didn’t return multiple messages seeking comment.
Turner said out of the 18 fire departments in Sebastian County, eight are rural while the others are city or city and rural. The purely rural departments include the four that have converted to fire protection districts, as well as the EMP, Midland, Sugarloaf/ Slaytonville, and White BluffRye Hill fire departments.