Fla. City`s Proposed Budget Calls for More Paramedics

Sept. 02--Sixteen new firefighter/paramedics. Eight police officers. And six more dispatchers to take residents' 911 calls.

These new positions are all part of a $3 million safety boost in the works by the city of Boca Raton.

The public-safety hires are among 76 new full-time positions included in the proposed $392 million budget for the city's coming fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1.

The proposed budget is up about $18 million from the current year's, with about $5.5 million allocated toward new personnel.

The new fire department positions are for Medic 6, a fire station on Clint Moore Road in the northwest section of the city.

"The addition of personnel at this location is due to the anticipated growth in the northwest area, the number of calls received and the existing residential development," city spokeswoman Chrissy Gibson said.

Citywide, the call volume for emergency services has been on a steady increase in 2015 and 2016, Boca Raton Fire Chief Tom Wood said.

"The staffing of Medic 6 in the new operating budget is necessary to maintain our EMS response times at an adequate level," Wood said. "We are obligated by national standards and our county license to reach 90 percent or more of our EMS calls in eight minutes or less."

The Fire Station 6-area has been approved for 5,000 additional dwelling units, mostly in the Arvida Park of Commerce area, Wood said. About 1,200 new dwelling units are already under construction. And an equal number are already in the planning phase.

It was always the city's plan, minding future growth, to hire firefighter/paramedics, regardless of a recent annexation proposal affecting neighborhoods just north of Clint Moore Road, Gibson said.

The city plans to add eight police officers, too. "These positions are also due to anticipated growth -- in the downtown and in the northwest area," Gibson said.

Hiring the six new 911 call-takers is part of a larger initiative by the city to boost efficiency and provide even faster emergency response times to the public, the city has said.

They will field calls for police, fire and emergency personnel at the city's 911 call center, which has had chronic staffing issues.

The new hires "are necessary to sustain outstanding quality city services while maintaining the city's long tradition of financial strength and flexibility," City Manager Leif Ahnell said in a budget message to the City Council.

To cover the city's costs, Ahnell is proposing a tax rate of about $3.68 per every $1,000 of assessed property value. That means the owner of a $350,000 home with a $50,000 homestead would pay $1,103.67 in property taxes.

The proposed rate is slightly lower than the current year's. The decrease saves the owner of the same home about 30 cents.

"Without raising taxes, the city was able to increase service levels for Boca Raton residents," Gibson said.

Homeowners could see a $20 increase in their fire services fee, however.

Right now, homeowners pay $85 a year for fire protection. Under the proposed budget, that amount would jump to $105 beginning in October.

The new firefighter/paramedics' salaries would be covered by money collected through taxes, not the fire services fee.

The fire fee only covers part of the firefighter budget, and by state law, goes toward fire operations only, not medics, Gibson said.

City Council members will discuss the proposed budget during a 6 p.m. meeting Sept. 12 at City Hall, located at 201 W. Palmetto Park Road. The council will then hold a final budget hearing at 6 p.m. Sept. 26, also at City Hall.

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