Excerpts from the Daily Herald:
Citing concerns over aging equipment and insufficient staffing at fire stations in unincorporated areas, officials from the Fox Lake Fire Protection District are set to ask voters for a tax increase next month.
Chief Ron Hoehne explained that the main issue is the need to hire at least three full-time paramedics and increase funding for vehicle maintenance. This comes after a 8% rise in emergency calls last year. Currently, each station—located on Molidor Road in Ingleside and Main Street in Spring Grove—only has two full-time paramedics per shift. With three shifts operating daily, the district needs one additional paramedic per shift at the Molidor Road station to meet minimum staffing levels.
The upcoming referendum on April 7 will ask voters to nearly double the property tax rate for ambulance services in the fire district, raising it from $0.133 to $0.350 per $100 of equalized assessed value. That’s an increase of 21.7 cents. For a homeowner with a $100,000 property, this would mean an extra $72 annually. The new revenue is expected to bring in about $850,000 in the first year.
However, residents in the village of Fox Lake are not included in this vote due to a three-year contract. The fire district serves 33,000 people across 30 square miles, but the tax increase applies only to the 22,000 residents outside the village limits.
“We’ve had the same ambulance tax since 1978,†Hoehne said. “This is the first time we’ve ever asked voters for more money for the fire district. But we’ve reached a point where it’s necessary.â€
Like many areas in the region, home values in the district have declined since 2008, leading to reduced tax revenues. The equalized assessed value dropped from $580 million in 2008 to $396 million in 2013. At the same time, emergency call volume has risen.
“We had to use our limited reserves just to get through last year,†Hoehne said. “We’re currently running a break-even budget. But if something major happens or there's a big equipment failure, it could be disastrous.â€
The district now operates a fleet of 26 vehicles, and maintenance costs are rising as the vehicles age and are used more frequently due to increased demand.
If approved, the tax increase would bring the ambulance fee in line with what residents in nearby communities like Fox River Grove, Long Grove, Lake Villa Township, and Lake Zurich pay for similar services.
Thanks Dan & Ron
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