2024 Belleville Fire Master Plan

Background

Belleville’s Fire & Emergency Services department has undertaken a Fire Master Plan to assist the City in establishing a long-term strategy for fire and emergency services based on community risk, safety, corporate priorities and council-approved budget allocations.

Behr Integrated Solutions Inc. was awarded the contract in 2022 and work began immediately. The process was broken into three phases:

• Planning – Organizing and defining goals/objectives of the plan.
• Analysis – Collecting data, conducting a community risk assessment, defining programs and/or system requirements and preparing the plan.
• Implementation – While making sure to revisit and evaluate community risks and the plan itself on an ongoing basis.

The City of Belleville now has five “service areas” (also known as “tax billing areas”):

• Belleville Urban
• Cannifton Urban
• Cannifton Rural
• Belleville Rural
• Cannifton Rural to Urban tax area established in 2025.

Tax rates vary throughout these areas based on a process called “area rating” which ensures taxpayers pay only for the services they receive. When Council establishes the annual budget, each area is impacted by the budgets for the services they receive and pays taxes accordingly.

Some fire budget costs are shared equally by all City of Belleville taxpayers. Services specific to a geographical area are budgeted only to that area. The areas of Belleville Urban and Cannifton Urban pay for the urban fire/full-time fire budget costs, and Cannifton Rural and Belleville Rural pay for the rural fire/volunteer fire budget costs.

Master Plan recommended improved fire service response to the Cannifton Rural area

For proper fire response and the adequate protection of persons and property in the community, the Fire Master Plan recommended an increased response in the Cannifton Rural area. This extended the urban fire response boundary and decreased the rural fire response boundary. With this area being provided urban fire service, it is important that the taxation of these properties be adjusted for the service they are provided.

In 2025 the new Cannifton Rural to Urban tax area was established and will be transitioning this area from rural fire/volunteer fire to urban fire/full-time fire. The result is approximately 2,200 properties in the Cannifton Rural area moving to and paying for the Urban Fire service.

It is important to note that by adjusting the tax boundary, there is no additional tax revenues derived for the City. However, this change means a redistribution in the taxes that each area will pay for the services they are receiving.

2,200 properties moved to higher urban fire service taxation class to pay for the improved service from the fire service

2,200 properties moving to urban fire service taxation, means that both of the urban tax billing areas (Belleville Urban and Cannifton Urban) will see relief in annual taxes as these rural properties are transitioned to urban fire budget. Those in the rural tax billing area will see increases because these transitioning properties will no longer be contributing towards the rural fire service costs.

Given the proportionate costs of service, the approximately 2,200 properties moving from Cannifton Rural to Cannifton Urban will see the greatest property tax increase, as they will now be contributing towards and receiving a higher service level. To accommodate this transition, affected properties will be billed using incremental annual changes to arrive at full contribution within 5-years (2025-2029).

For further details on the Fire Master Plan project, please contact: [email protected]