Voters in the West Manatee Fire Rescue District will soon face a decision at the ballot box.
But for those voting by mail, that question is already arriving.
The Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office began sending out mail ballots Jan. 30 posing a question about authorizing WMFR to levy annual ad valorem taxes not to exceed 1 mill beginning in fiscal 2026-27.
The WMFR district covers Anna Maria Island and west Bradenton, including the village of Cortez.
The district currently levies non-ad valorem fire assessment fees that consist of a residential or commercial base rate plus additional charges for square footage.
However, it also has pushed for decades to gain the authority to levy ad valorem taxes in an effort to increase revenues, but all previous attempts have failed.
WMFR is one of only two fire districts in Manatee County that does not levy ad valorem taxes.
The referendum is the district’s latest attempt and will require a simply majority vote to pass when it goes before voters in a special election on Tuesday, March 10.
If it is approved, WMFR will be able to levy up to 1 mill in ad valorem taxes for each property in the district.
The millage rate is the amount per $1,000 of property value used to calculate property taxes and would be determined by a later vote by the WMFR fire commission.
At the 1 mill maximum rate, the owner of a property with the assessed value of $500,000 would pay $500 in ad valorem taxes to the district every year.
WMFR has an online calculator that shows what the potential tax payments would be for any address within the district at two rates, 0.5 and 1 mills.
The calculator can be found on the district’s website, wmfr.org/ad-valorem-calculator.
WMFR firefighter Gabe Gonzalez, who serves as the district vice president International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2546, a labor union, spoke with The Islander Feb. 6 about the referendum.
Gonzalez said the increased revenue gained from ad valorem taxes could be used to establish a new station in Bradenton Beach and improve response times to the south side of Anna Maria Island.
The money could also be used to improve the district’s training infrastructure and replace existing firefighting equipment that contains polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAs or “forever chemicals.”
“We want to be better. We are trying our best to provide the highest level of service with the funding we have,” Gonzalez said. “If the ad valorem were to be approved, it would only improve our services.”
“If the voters and the residents are gracious enough to vote ‘yes,’ on March 10, the return that they would get back is tenfold,” he added.
Vote-by-mail ballots can be requested through the SEO’s website, votemanatee.gov.
Those ballots must be submitted no later than 7 p.m. on election day.
If the referendum passes, the tax will go into effect on Thursday, Oct. 1, when the district’s next fiscal year begins.