As part of its mission your Taxpayers Association seeks to work with public officials by proactively suggesting ways to save or use tax revenue more efficiently. Since personnel costs are by far the largest portion of the County operating budget outsourcing of County services presents a major opportunity.

One such opportunity is the Fire Rescue Department. For many years now your Taxpayers Association has been warning public officials and taxpayers that yearly double digit wage increases and accompanying fringe benefit increases in this department were unrealistic and unsustainable. The Taxpayers Association has nothing against the Fire Rescue Department but in the past ten years, 2000 through 2009, total salaries and fringes have increased over THREEFOLD. With significantly decreasing tax revenues the Fire Rescue Department is now a major contributor to Martin County’s deficits.

So, the Taxpayers Association searched for an acceptable private company outsourcing alternative and found Rural/Metro Corporation (www.ruralmetro.com). For over 50 years Rural/Metro Corporation has been a leading provider of emergency and non-emergency medical transportation services, fire protection and other safety-related services to municipal, residential, commercial and industrial customers in approximately 400 communities and 22 states throughout the United States. Current Florida customers are Altamonte Springs , Kissimmee, Orange County, Orlando, Osceola County, Sanford, Seminole County, and Sikorsky Aircraft - West Palm Beach.

It must be pointed out that the Taxpayers Association is not specifically promoting Rural/Metro Corporation or any other private provider but wants to counter, up front, any arguments and make it clear to our readers that there are reputable, capable and reliable private companies able to provide needed services.

Rural/Metro was provided with the Fire Rescue Department operating goals and costs, and requested to provide an operating scenario and quote that would not compromise the level of service Martin County residents expect. Rural/Metro responded with the following: “After careful analysis of the material you provided, we have developed a model which would present significant cost savings to you community. Based upon the financial and operational data made available, we believe Rural/Metro could provide emergency ambulance service and transportation for the residents and visitors of Martin County with no government subsidy and at a conservative cost savings to the county of 3 million dollars annually. For this to succeed we would need the latitude to operationally deploy our resources to meet an acceptable performance standard. We would suggest a partnership between Martin County and Rural/Metro with Fire Service first response at a Paramedic level and Rural/Metro Paramedics providing a continuum of care and transport to the hospital.”

Emphasis has been added as we interpret the above to mean that Martin County paramedics would continue first response so there would be no deterioration of current service levels but the County would still realize a net savings of $3,000,000 annually.

This information was presented to the County Commission who, as reported by the Stuart News, voted unanimously on April 27, 2010 to “examine proposals for a public-private partnership for Emergency Services” that would include other providers along with Rural/Metro.

Your Taxpayers Association lauds the Commission for courageously voting to proceed in this direction and urge County administration and management to move rapidly in pursuing this significant cost savings opportunity and to expand their investigations to include other County services.

Your Taxpayers Association also suggests the City of Stuart, School Board, Constitutional Offices and other entities likewise seek similar privatization cost savings opportunities as tax increases are not acceptable while these opportunities have not been seriously evaluated.

And, as always, your Taxpayers Association stands ready further to assist in this effort.