Largo officials eye fire assessment if tax amendment passes

LARGO — City officials plan to dust off a years-old fire assessment study in response to a proposed constitutional amendment that could sharply reduce property tax revenues for local governments.

During the July 7 city commission meeting, Commissioner John Lauser suggested the city consider levying such a fee if voters approve the proposed amendment on November’s ballot.

Mayor Woody Brown agreed with taking a look at the potentially controversial levy, but said staff should dig up a fire assessment report the city commissioned roughly a decade ago before deciding whether to seek an updated study.

"I think the first step would be to look at the results of that study," Brown said. "It wouldn't cost us anything. We wouldn't have to hire a consultant initially."

The earlier study could provide useful information because little has changed as far as the city's fire protection responsibilities, the mayor said.

If commissioners decide to move forward with a fire assessment, he said, the city could hire a consultant at that point to perform an updated study.

City Manager John Curp was directed to provide commissioners with the previous study for their review and discussion.

Largo currently funds most of its fire services through the general fund, Brown said, which is largely supported by property taxes.

Across Florida, cities and counties are working to come up with ways to offset the fiscal impact of the proposed constitutional amendment, which is facing several legal challenges.

The measure, backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, could require local governments to reduce services, cut spending or find alternative funding sources.

Fire services are funded through assessment programs in many cities and counties throughout Florida. The assessment typically is levied against all property owners, who pay a proportional share of the costs for the service.

In St. Petersburg, a proposed fire assessment in the 1990s was scrapped after it encountered opposition from churches that normally are exempt from paying property taxes on their places of worship.

In other business, Commissioner Michael Smith asked staff to examine where data centers fit within Largo's land development code after they became "a hot topic" following a recent proposal in Pinellas Park.

The mayor agreed to the review.