Schulz, along with brother Tracy, who is fire chief of KIVFD; Raymond Aaron, chief of Grasonville Volunteer Fire Department; Lennie Anthony, lieutenant of Queenstown Volunteer Fire Department, and Dave Olds, president of United Communities Volunteer Fire Department, met recently to discuss impact fees and to gather support for the hearing on the ordinance.

The hearing is set for 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 7, during the weekly meeting of the County Commissioners at the Liberty building in Centreville.   (Note from KIDL:  9:30 is the correct time.) 

Impact fees are one time charges assessed against newly developed property. The fees are an attempt to recover the cost incurred by local government in providing adequate emergency services, public roads, water, sewer and schools, among other needs. The developer initially pays the impact fees but in the end passes the costs on to the buyer.

The current struggle over impact fees has been going on for almost a year in Queen Anne's County.

Last year the county received the results of an impact fee study by Tischler and Associates Inc. from Bethesda.

The study called for an increase in current residential impact fees from $2,335 per unit to $6,854 per unit. The county commissioners came back last March with a revised impact fee ordinance calling for residential fees to be set at $6,360 per unit. Fire departments would receive over $1,000 for each unit from the proposed fee.

At their April meeting the county Planning Commission came back with yet another recommendation. Residential fees should not be anymore than twice what they currently are, or $4,670 per unit. 

The county Chamber of Commerce also put pressure on the county to lower the proposed fees. In a press release dated March 19 the Chamber wrote "the proposed impact fee ordinance must be rejected as it is harmful to the future economic well being of Queen Anne's County."

Of the current $2,335, the volunteer fire departments receive $55. That, said Anthony, is ridiculous.

"It is $55 across the board, whether they are building the Taj Mahal or an FHA loan house," said Anthony.

The system has to be more equitable, he said.

"If a guy is building a 6,000-square-foot home, he's paying more taxes, and he should be paying a bigger (impact) fee," Anthony said. 

Jody Schulz said developers and Realtors are selling the services of the volunteer fire departments, but the departments are getting nothing in return.

"Impact fees are the way to go ... the developer is making money and not paying his fair share for life-saving services," he said.

Olds said when it comes to priorities for the county it seems as if fire departments are at the bottom of the list.

"I know schools and roads are important, so they are way up here, but it seems as if we are all the way down here," he said gesturing with his hands.

United Communities, he adds, is going "to get bombarded as soon as that pipe (public sewer) comes down the line."

"We really need to educate the people. In the past, we haven't been included in on the county government. We've been recognized but not included," said Aaron. "We need someone to report to the commissioners who has the ability to convey what our needs are."

No one from the county fire departments was represented on any of the Citizens Advisory Committees that planned for the future growth and development of the county in the new Comprehensive Plan, Aaron said.

All five men agreed that representation at the county level is what the fire departments need in order to make their voices heard. The Emergency Operations Center alone cannot represent the needs of all the paid paramedics, volunteer paramedics and volunteer firefighters who work in the county, they said.

"The fire departments aren't really represented when it comes to county government," said Tracy Schulz. He cites two incidences when a representative of a local volunteer fire department might have had significant input: a field trip to a Four Seasons development out of town and another one to a community in Montgomery County.

"We've been to the Planning Commission begging and pleading with them to deal with us. It seems as if the Planning Commission is unfairly jumping on the side of these few businesses who oppose the new fees," said Jody Schulz.

"We just want people to come out and support the fire side of impact fees. If they can't come to the hearing, we ask them to write letters or make phone calls to support us. The companies in this county have always provided the best service, we never compromise when it comes to the safety of the community and the citizens," he added. "Everyone always says they support the fire departments and now it's game time." 

©The Star Democrat 2002