West Manatee Fire Rescue’s spending plan for fiscal 2024-25 is set.
WMFR District commissioners unanimously voted Sept. 10 on motions to adopt resolutions establishing a $19,070,058 budget and fire assessment rates for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.
The expenditure side of the equation can be broken down into thirds.
About two-thirds of the expenditures have been appropriated for fiscal 2024-25, including $10,040,716 in personnel expenses, $370,500 for capital outlay and $2,132,147 in operating expenses.
The last third can be attributed to $6,526,695 in reserve funds.
On the revenue side of things, most of the budget is made up of $11,666,091 from tax assessments — $1,662,899.47 more than it raised this year due to a 7% across-the-board rate hike.
The adopted assessment rates for the upcoming fiscal year include a $236.22 residential base rate and a $0.1393 additional charge for every square foot more than 1,000, and a $587.06 commercial base rate with a $0.2542 additional charge per square foot more than 1,000.
Under the new rates, residential property owners will pay $375.52 for a 2,000-square-foot home and $514.82 for a 3,000-square-foot home.
Commercial property owners will pay $841.26 for a 2,000-square-foot building and $1,095.46 for a 3,000-square-foot building.
That rate hike comes only a year after the district raised rates by 4% and began assessing short-term rentals under its commercial rates instead of residential rates.
Rigney contract
WMFR commissioners also unanimously voted to amend Chief Ben Rigney’s employment contract.
The amendment included a salary increase and contract extension through Sept. 30, 2029.
The salary increase establishes a new $170,000 annual base salary for Rigney, effective Oct. 1, when the new fiscal year begins.
The chief’s base pay in fiscal 2023-24 was $148,526.
The amended contract also establishes 5% annual salary increases instead of the 3% annual raises Rigney has received since 2019.
There were no public comments for any of the items.
The commission will meet next at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, at WMFR’s administrative headquarters, 701 63rd St. W., Bradenton.
Directions to attend via Zoom can be found on the district’s website, wmfr.org.
Breaking down fire rates…
Category 2023-24 base rate 2023-24 sq. ft. rate 2024-25 proposed base rate 2024-25 sq. ft. rate
Residential $219.94 $0.1247 $236.22 $0.1393
Commercial $546.61 $0.2367 $587.06 $0.2542
— Ryan Paice
Assessment increases…
Residential property
1,000 square feet: $16.28
2,000 square feet: $30.88
3,000 square feet: $45.48
Commercial property
1,000 square feet: $40.45
5,000 square feet: $110.45
10,000 square feet: $197.95
Vacant lot: $2.15
— Ryan Paice
