“It’s painful to say it here tonight,” Shadrix said. “If we don't do this, then I will be having to propose a millage rate increase because, if you all recall, we were forced, to remain competitive, to increase police salaries 20 percent last year, and that's a recurring cost. In order to meet that with the revenue decreases that we're anticipating, we are strongly recommending that you do this.”

The new fire fee structure is based on a tiered system that assigns a number of fire protection units according to a building’s square footage. Fire protection units, according to the Fire Assessment Memorandum prepared for the city by Anser Advisory Consulting of Tallahassee, are a proxy for the people power and equipment it would take for the fire department to mount a “full alarm response” to a blaze.

Here’s how it works:

Homes between 100 and 1199 square feet are 1 fire unit.

Homes between 1200 and 1999 square feet are 1.5 fire units.

Homes between 2000 and 3099 square feet are 2 fire units.

Homes between 3100 and 4499 square feet are 2.5 fire units.

Homes between 4500 and 6099 square feet are 3 fire units.

Homes between 6100 and 7999 square feet are 3.5 fire units.

For condominiums and townhouses, their areas will be combined and assigned fire protected units. Then the number of fire protection units will be divided by the number of condominiums and/or townhouses in a building to determine the fire protection unit for each individual space.

Under the new fee structure, Rumer said, a “typical house between 2,000 and 3,099 square feet would pay $278.46.”

Shadrix described the fee structure as “more equitable" since owners of small homes won't pay as much as owners of larger homes.

Still, at the current rate, the fire fees cover just 17 percent of the fire department’s $16 million annual budget, and the increase bumps that up to 36 percent, Rumer said. The balance is paid through the city’s general fund.

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District 3 Commissioner Richard Firstner, who typically keeps a low profile on the dais, readily endorsed the necessity of the fee increase.

“The purpose of this fire assessment fee is to help pay for the services that we're providing to the citizens of Ocoee,” said Firstner, who served as fire chief from 1995 to 2009.

“This is what it costs to run the fire department, not to mention all the equipment, the protective clothing, the hoses, you name it. It all needs to be replaced on a regular basis. And it all comes due year after year after year. We have to find a revenue source to at least defray that expense. It's something that you don't have the option to pay for it or not because when the telephone rings, we go.

“ We didn't reach ISO-1 and nationally accreditation for being lackadaisical in the way that we provide support. We provide the best professional service that money can buy. We're not asking for more. We're just asking to help defray that cost a little bit. Seventeen percent of what our expenses are … That’s terrible. That's spit in the ocean. This is a necessary evil. We have to do it.”