Tallahassee city commission talks budget, possible tax raise via fire fee in Wednesday meeting

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Tallahassee city commissioners hosted the first public hearing on the city’s new budget on Wednesday evening.

The meeting included a discussion surrounding fire fees, which city staff have suggested raising by 9.98%, equating to $2.01 a month for most residents, according to commission meeting agenda documents.

The city and county have dueled over how much they should increase fire fees, and the county ultimately voted to keep its rate the same. Now, the city says they’ve had to adjust the fire fee since the county isn’t raising its fee.

In the Wednesday meeting, some commissioners suggested they negotiate with the county about the fee to avoid raising property taxes. However, others pushed back, highlighting the fact that they have just two weeks until a fina