Sumter County commissioners have threatened to shut down funding to The Villages Public Safety Department except if the fire department pays them several million dollars it claims it owes.
Commissioners voted recently to seek the funds through a mediator “short of a lawsuit or termination of the agreement” that permits VPSD to handle retirees’ special needs.
Sumter County Fire and Rescue is a distinct county-run fire department that services the more rural areas.
Freshmen commissioners Craig Estep, Oren Miller and Gary Search convened an ambulance working committee last summer to investigate disbanding VPSD and bringing The Villages’ coverage under full county management.
An outpouring of public outrage drowned out that potential move. However, the commissioners cut $1 million from VPSD’s budget for next year, despite The Villages’ status as one of the nation’s fastest-growing communities.
If no deal is achieved, the remaining $16.5 million allocated to VPSD may be withdrawn.
Although a document provided to the Village Center Community Development District (VCCDD) earlier in September said that funding would end with the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1, commissioners announced that the trigger would not be pulled just yet.
The overall budget for VPSD in 2021-22 is around $22 million.
The money in question is “an unknown amount estimated to be $2 to $5 million” according to commissioners, which the county is authorized to spend under the provisions of a 2019 agreement with the VCCDD.
According to the county, VPSD spent money in parts of The Villages that are not in Sumter County, such as Lady Lake and Fruitland Park.
According to District Manager Richard Baier, the district’s audits reveal no money outstanding to the county.
“We believe we’re in compliance with the contract,” Baier said. “In fact, we submit our budget for county review and approval every year. If we weren’t complying, you would think they would have brought that up before now.”
The commission’s decision comes just months after Estep, Miller and Search failed to get public support for a 290 percent hike in the fire price cap, and just weeks after Baier stated that the VCCDD is exploring the creation of an Independent Special Fire Control District.
If the state Legislature approves the change, the organization will be able to fund its own operations and service all areas of The Villages that are not under county administration.