Government Services Group will negotiate a contract with the Fire District for the work to study on the impact of a special fire assessment fee that would have to go on the before voters in November 2014.
District staff was directed by the fire commission to, which will cost about $25,000.
If approved, district officials say the fee would provide a more stable source of revenue than property taxes, which can rise and fall.
The amount of the fee has not been set, but it would be charged to all property owners in the district.
Many in the public think this is going to be added to their tax bills, said fire Commissioner David Adams. But, he added, this is going to replace the current fire tax on your property tax bill.
Yet resident Mohamed Yasin said Lehigh residents can’t afford the fee.
“We need to make sure everybody within 144 square miles (of the district) pays their equal and fair share,” said Fire Commissioner Linda Carter.
In related action, Commission Chairman Larry Becker also was designated the official spokesman for the board on the fee issue. Each of the five commissioners, however, will be allowed to speak out with their personal opinions about the fee.