Fiscal Court and county residents need to understand that city taxpayers now pay 100 percent of the cost of all fire protection within the city limits and about 60 percent of the fire protection that is outside the city. While everyone will agree that each fire needs an immediate response, the city residents cannot subsidize the county with additional fire protection under the pretense of cooperation. If the county wants city services, it will have to pay more taxes. Also, Fiscal Court needs to move on mandatory garbage pickup for the same reason the city has it.
Government provides garbage pickup for sanitary and environmental reasons.
If the city did not have a mandatory garbage pickup, Daviess County would look like one big dump. Fiscal Court needs to stop waiting for Frankfort to do its dirty work. If the county wants the benefits of merged services such as fire protection, it must be willing to carry its fair share of the load.