"Business" of User Fees - US Fire Administration - Federal ...

27Competition for customers is pitting business against business, business againstgovernment, and government against government (Withers, 1994). In response,government needs to create ways to generate revenue and supplement taxes in orderto maintain and improve service for the customer.The majority of the literature for this research was related to alternative funding ingeneral. Most of the authors took a broad view of identifying various funding choicesand their use in the fire service. After reviewing the literature the author elected to focuson user fees in order to answer the problem statement established at the beginning ofthe project. The author was able to locate two authors, Berman and Withers thatconcentrated a large part of their information on fees. Their material helped the authorfocus on user fees as a superior revenue source for the Westminster Fire Department.The descriptive research compelled the author to conduct a survey of firedepartments in Colorado to ascertain specific information on user fees of neighboringdepartments. The survey was very helpful in giving a “close to home” look at other firedepartments fee programs.The study revealed that Westminster Fire Department’s fee-program is similar tomany departments in the area. However, is did reveal areas that could be expanded inorder to generate additional revenue in light of the anticipated sales tax decline. Thedepartment’s current fees are well accepted politically and by the community, but anynew fees would be expected to gain acceptance before implementation. The employeegroup has recognized that the department needs to operate more like a business inorder to maintain or expand services for the future. User fees can afford the departmentthis opportunity while providing fairness to the taxpayer and the customers.