The Thriller
Well-Known Member
Thoughts?
https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/when-government-services-go-a-la-carte/1127144
https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/when-government-services-go-a-la-carte/1127144
A home fire in a rural Tennessee county late last month has ignited a national debate about how government services should be funded. The debate is particularly relevant here in Florida, where some local governments squeezed for cash are quietly weighing the idea of making residents pay subscription fees for services once fully paid by tax dollars.
The Tennessee fire shows where that approach could lead.
Obion County in western Tennessee doesn't have a fire department. County residents who want fire protection must pay a subscription fee to one of the eight towns in the county.
Obion resident Gene Cranick lived near the small town of South Fulton and in the past had paid its $75 annual subscription fee for fire service. This year, he didn't pay .
On Sept. 29 his grandson lost control of a trash fire outside Cranick's mobile home and the home ignited. The South Fulton Fire Department didn't respond to the 911 call because Cranick hadn't paid the fire fee. Firefighters did show up to protect the property of Cranick's next-door neighbor, who was a subscriber, but the firefighters were forbidden to fight Cranick's fire. Cranick lost everything, including four pets that died in the fire.
The incident has aroused strong emotions. Cranick's adult son punched the fire chief later that day and was arrested. Cranick has made numerous appearances on cable news shows, claiming that he "forgot" to pay the fee this year and thought the fire department would bill him if he had a fire.
South Fulton officials have defended themselves, saying the subscription fee has been in place for 20 years and subscribers who don't remit their fee each July are reminded by mail and a phone call. The mayor said if they allowed people to pay the fee only after they had a fire, soon no one would be paying the fee. He's probably right about that.