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Board. All voters within the District have equal representation with the current structure. Any <br /> change to this structure will result in some areas being over-represented at the expense of other <br /> citizens of the District. Also,this option would require a vote of the Legislature,unless the Board of <br /> County Commissioners retains the authority over the budget of the District. Furthermore, this <br /> proposal makes a fundamental change to the District, which seems to be an overreaction to the <br /> current dispute. <br /> The District staff does not support the second option as the District does not anticipate that the City <br /> of Fellsmere will be able to pay their fair share of the services to be provided by the District for the <br /> citizens of Fellsmere. Currently,the District operates Station 10 within the City of Fellsmere. The <br /> annual operating costs of this station exceed$1.5 million. If the County were to charge the City of <br /> Fellsmere for the cost of providing District Services, this cost would likely be burdensome for the <br /> City at this time. Right now, the costs of providing the services are shared equally by all of the <br /> citizens of the District. <br /> The District offers many different services to its citizens.The District provides 1)fire protection and <br /> rescue services, 2) basic and advanced life support services and transport, 3) hazardous material <br /> response,4)routine lifesafety inspections,and 5)other emergency services activities. Plans review, <br /> although important, is just one aspect of the overall District mission. Accordingly,the Fire Chief <br /> and Fire Marshal respectfully recommend that the Board adopt the attached resolution,requesting the <br /> City of Fellsmere to discontinue all further activities of the Fellsmere Fire Marshal within 30 days <br /> and authorize the County Attorney's Office to pursue the necessary legal remedies to prevent the <br /> City from continuing these services. Alternatively,if the Board decides not to adopt the resolution <br /> and authorize the County Attorney's Office to pursue legal action, then the City would most likely <br /> continue its permit and plans review activities, inconsistent with County Code. <br /> FUNDING <br /> Should the Board of the District instruct the County Attorney's Office to file legal proceedings,then <br /> the funding source for this purpose would be the Emergency Services District reserve for <br /> contingencies. Otherwise, no funding would be necessary to maintain the status quo. <br /> RECOMMENDATION <br /> The Fire Chief and the Fire Marshal,in consultation with the County Attorney's Office,recommend <br /> that the Board of County Commissioners, acting in its capacity as the governing body of the <br /> Emergency Services District, consider and adopt the proposed resolution and authorize the County <br /> Attorney's Office to pursue the necessary legal remedies to maintain the jurisdictional powers of the <br /> District as set forth in Chapter 208,Indian River County Code of Ordinances and Chapter 633 of the <br /> Florida Statutes. <br /> 156 <br />