It will cost residents to be in fire district

In reference to the Oct. 24 article on East Hope, Eileen Klatt was quoted as saying that the city had spent $433,538 on the fire department from 2002 through August 2013. I am the former city clerk for East Hope, from 1997 through 2005, and I take issue with her figures.

I have done my own analysis of the expenditures, using city financial records, and I come up with a cost to taxpayers of $330,000, $144,000 of that was for the city share of the joint fire department. The city spent $28,000 in 2002 for fire before forming the joint fire department. The total cost of the fire station was $163,739, so the city took out a loan for $140,000. After that, $30,365 was received in donations. That left $6,626 of the donations to go toward the first loan payment. East Hope wanted to build a fire station but keep the land and building as East Hope property. There was widespread community support at the time, with the cash donations and many hours of volunteer labor and equipment to build it. The building belongs to the city and is probably worth over $200,000 as it stands today.

I question the council’s decision to annex into the Sam Owen Fire District for fire protection, when our current annual cost is $13,140 compared to the $43,000-plus it is going to cost the citizens to be in the fire district.

SANDY BUTLER

Hope