OAKLAND, Fla. -- Oakland town leaders say they can no longer afford to operate the fire station alone. They only have one firehouse in town and the next closest is three miles away in Winter Garden.

The town manager says, if they want to keep it, they may have to pay for it.

Russell Kivett was at his home Tuesday morning filling a tank with water to do some landscaping. He said his water bill runs about $54 a month. Part of that goes toward what it cost the town to house an Orange County fire station in a community filled with about 2,000 people.

Now, Kivett may have to pay more.

"I don't know why we should have to pay extra when we're paying already," he said.

Orange County estimates it costs about $1 million to run the firehouse. On average, residents pay about $200 a year through the millage on their water bills to support the town's portion and Orange County pays the rest.

Town Manager Maureen Rischitelli told Eyewitness News the amount coming in through the millage is decreasing because of declining property values.

"We're restricted to not raise the millage, so it's going to have to come out of the operating some way or a fee for service," she explained.

The possible amount of that fee hasn't been determined because town leaders are just starting to crunch the numbers, but Richetelli said they will also be forced to factor in another $200,000 lose in property taxes because of Amendment 1.

Some residents said they're willing to pay whatever it takes to stay safe.

"It doesn't matter. Safety comes first," Kivett said.

Town leaders will start discussing all the options, including the possibility of a fee in a few weeks. The town manager said she doesn't even want to consider closing the station and doing an inter-local agreement with Winter Garden, because that would mean longer response times for people in Oakland.