Sun City West Fire District OKs budget

The governing board of the Sun City West Fire District approved a $12.2 million balanced budget Thursday that includes money to pay for station renovations and increased fuel costs.

The budget — 5.4 percent higher than the current spending plan — was hashed out in two workshops last month and will be posted for public viewing for the next 30 days at each of the district’s three stations, its administrative office and the R.H. Johnson Library. It is scheduled to be adopted at the June 19 regular meeting. The budget also will be available at www.scwfire.org.

The increase will be generated from a combination of sources including a slight hike in the tax levy rate and increases in ambulance revenues, among other things, said accounting supervisor Coaleen Bowen.

As an example, the district’s tax levy rate for the current budget was $335.90 for a home with a $201,000 median assessed value. The new budget will include a levy rate of $352.34 for the same home.

Despite the increase, the levy rate for the district is lower than many others in the state, Bowen said.

"We anticipate that we will again be the lowest tax levy rate of any district in the Phoenix-Metro area."

The spending plan will take effect July 1.

Deputy Chief Jim Heger said increases can be attributed to renovations, increased fuel costs and necessary capital expenditures.

The board also approved the allocation of $50,000 in budget surplus to be spent on new fitness and exercise equipment for firefighters.

The funds were originally budgeted to be used for required yearly health physicals for all district personnel. The district has been using the Phoenix Fire Department to perform the physicals, but because of a waiting period, fire personnel will receive physicals in conjunction with the Glendale Fire Department.

Heger said the physicals will resume with the new budget in July. Because of the hiatus, the funding was not used.

The board already planned for $75,000 for new fitness equipment in the 2008-2009 budget. The district will likely spend $25,000 of that amount to purchase any other new equipment needed, with any surplus going into the district’s capital fund.

Fire personnel currently use hand-me-down equipment purchased from LA Fitness about a decade ago.

"It’s probably close to 10 years ago that we got it," Heger said. "It was used equipment that was obsolete for LA Fitness and we purchased it for pennies on the dollar."

Battalion Chief Pat Mifsud organized the proposal in which a set of cardio and weight equipment for a "full-body workout" will be purchased from Advanced Equipment. While the board approved up to $50,000, Mifsud’s proposal is for about $46,000 of equipment.

Fire officials expressed concern at Tuesday’s workshop meeting about the potential safety hazard the old equipment posed.

The majority of the equipment will be housed in Station 101. The older equipment will be moved to Station 102 and the district will likely sell unneeded equipment, Heger said.

The board also:

• Approved a $1,975,000 maximum price for Station 102 renovations.

• Celebrated years of service for Bowen, who has been with the district for 10 years, and Deputy Chief Steve Penney, who has been with the district 25 years.