Discussion and possible action to approve the formation of the City of Peoria Fire District to provide fire protection service to county island parcels within city boundaries.

Peoria Fire-Medical participates in the regional automatic aid system. The system is currently comprised of twenty-nine (29) automatic aid partners. As such, Peoria Fire-Medical provides fire protection service not only to Peoria residents and businesses but also to county islands within the City of Peoria Boundaries and surrounding cities in the automatic aid system. County island residents and businesses elect to subscribe for fire protection through a fire district, private service provider (Rural Metro), or decline coverage. Regardless of coverage, Peoria Fire-Medical will respond to incidents in the thirteen (13) county islands within our city boundaries. The city then sends a bill for service to Rural Metro. Collection of revenue can, in some instances, be delayed or a challenge to collect.

The possible formation of a City of Peoria Fire District would bring the 13 county islands under one service provider. The revenue from such a service would provide funding for operating costs. Since this service is currently provided frequently by Peoria Fire-Medical, the increase in district revenue versus operating cost would be positive.

Staff identified 1,702 residential parcels and 69 commercial parcels in the thirteen county islands adjacent to the city. The total number of parcels is 1,771.

The fire district rate for providing service to the 1,771 parcels has yet to be determined. Fire districts use the limited property value (LPV) multiplied by an approved rate to determine the cost to each parcel. The range of rates is typically between $250 - $2,500 per parcel, depending on the LPV.