[Tupelo]

There might be a better way for the fire district to handle these non payers. Show up and fight the fire as best they can. THEN send the homeowner an invoice for the full cost. Hell, maybe even a little profit added on. If the home owner doesn't pay after 30 days, then file a lien against the property. It may take a while to get paid, but I am sure the courts will be very friendly when the property is sold or the lien is foreclosed on.
This way there is little or no adverse publicity and the fire district will eventually be made whole.

[Labyrinthos]

There might be a better way for the fire district to handle these non payers. Show up and fight the fire as best they can. THEN send the homeowner an invoice for the full cost. Hell, maybe even a little profit added on. If the home owner doesn't pay after 30 days, then file a lien against the property. It may take a while to get paid, but I am sure the courts will be very friendly when the property is sold or the lien is foreclosed on.

And then there is reality... If the homeowner is unable or unwilling to pay a $75 fee, then in all likelihood the house is worth less than the first and second mortgage and tax liens, which means that when the house is sold, the fire compnay gets nothing and everyone else ends up paying for this deadbeat through higher fees and taxes. The better approach is for the insurance company to pay the fee directly to the fire company and then include the fee as part of the premium. If the homeowner fails to pay the insurance premium, then he or she is too stupid to help and doesn't deserve to own a home.