Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:
The Fox River & Countryside Fire/Rescue District could be facing more budget cuts after voters Tuesday shot down a request to increase the property tax rate by 60 percent.
The binding referendum question received 4,694 “no” votes and 4,351 “yes” votes with all precincts reporting in Kane and DuPage counties, according to unofficial tallies. The tax hike would have cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $53 per year, bringing in at least an extra $1 million for the district.
This is the second time voters denied the fire district’s request for a tax hike. The cash-strapped agency now will likely have to cut more firefighter positions and potentially brown-out one of its two stations on a rotating basis, Chief John Nixon said.
#1 by Ed on November 16, 2018 - 10:35 AM
Rich S.
You have no idea what this department or its administration is truly up to. Talk about a bunch of corrupt individuals who only care about one thing THEMSELVES. Go work for that place and get verbally abused by the individuals who run that place. Then ask to see pay scales to see how much everyone is making. Last time I checked as a municipal or village employee your pay is public knowledge. At that place try to figure out why some guys make significantly lower and others who are less trained or qualified get paid significantly higher for no reason. Again look at their spending habits. Buy a new engine when broke. Buy a old engine when broke. repaint a old engine when broke. Pay non paramedic blue shirt positions significantly higher than blue shirt paramedics. But hey don’t take my word for it try going and working there. Sure they have some great guys that work there and I feel bad are either stuck there or trying to get out. Yet you can only be beaten down so much by the jerks that run that place.
#2 by Mike C on November 13, 2018 - 5:15 PM
This department is an absolute joke! Crying about lack of money then repainting the top of engine 1811 so that it has a black over red paint scheme. I’m glad they’re spending money on the essentials!
I feel bad for the residents in the Fox Rivers district. Ultimately, who is dealing with the repercussions? Look back when this department was established. From what I remember, the residents were told they would receive better service without raising taxes. Then the residents fell for the lie and voted to establish this new district.
Honestly, I think Fox River has some really good staff members but they need to just throw in the white towel and surrender. Things just aren’t working. I think we can all agree that change was necessary when this district was implemented. Valley View and Campton Hills both grew substantially and response times were not within NFPA recommendations. I say shut Fox Rive Fire down and figure out a better alternative!
#3 by Mike on November 11, 2018 - 4:43 PM
Rich I’m sorry I hurt your feelings calling someone a scab.
Personally I don’t care if someone is doing drywall or plumbing on their days off. Their fire chief or village board isn’t using that against them in negotiations for wages, benefits or working conditions. And the pension boards are not using that against guys trying to claim most occupational disabilities. I’m sure you remember oak lawns village manager stood open at a meeting and said why should we pay you guys this and why should you have 4 person staffing when you guys work elsewhere for 10.00 an hour, no benefits and run 2-3 man companies. Hard to argue that isn’t it?
Many of those departments that use our guys can afford full time firemen but choose not to because guys are willing to work for less. I guess you don’t have an issue with that. The affi has worked very hard for locals to secure manning and pension benefits and for guys to work elsewhere without a care is selfish. Personally if the town you live in has part timers or volunteers and you want to help I’m ok with that, to an extent. But this is normally not the case with guys working elsewhere.
#4 by rich S. on November 11, 2018 - 12:32 PM
Austin, almost every fire district in the Chicago land area has asked for more money and referendums. North Palos, Itasca, New Lenox etc, etc. I don’t have anything to do with this FRC district but it seems to be getting a really bad rap. I’m not a fan of contract departments at all I don’t like then but I’m also not a fan of bad mouthing others because you don’t like there deal.
#5 by austin on November 11, 2018 - 11:50 AM
I couldn’t agree more with that statement Mike (the most recent Mike reply). It was doomed from the start, and even if they did get a referendum passed, they will ask for more money in a few years.
#6 by rich S. on November 11, 2018 - 10:53 AM
Mike, I in fact happen to know several of these “scabs” you are harping on in many of these places. And I also happen to know many more individuals who get in the car after shift with there stickers in the window and they go to there carpentry job, pluming job, electrician job, ER tech or Nurse job and that’s not a big deal. Right? Please give me a break fireman are the most hypocritical whinny people I know and I’ve been a fireman for going on 25 years. If the people think they can support a full time paid union department then they can vote and start one I have no issue with that, good for them if they do. But to get on here and bad mouth people calling them scabs is BS, do you live in the FRC district? If not then oh well. I’ll tell you what I won’t let anyone union or not tell me where I or anyone else can go to make money for there family in these days. Where do you draw the line? Because if you want to be technical no one should have any side job by your logic.
#7 by Mike on November 10, 2018 - 8:32 PM
Rich look at the southern suburbs and all the guys scabbing there. You think if guys weren’t selfish and scabbing at those places you could actually show a shortage in firefighters and get proper funding to those areas. Tinley is a great example. How many iaff stickers do you see in their parking lots? Same thing up north with McHenry, lake villa, westmont, etc. these guys agree to be a scab somewhere for a lot less money and then bitch at their “real” job about how they’re getting screwed when they don’t get a good raise. There is a place for part time, paid on call, volunteer departments and I believe even the affi has language for secondary employment as to no cripple those departments. FRC was nothing more then a few idiots in the right spots with a hard on for the unions. I’ve seen this trainwreck from day 1 and it was a bad idea then and still is today. It is very obvious the residents don’t want this so close the doors and split the district up.
#8 by Mike C on November 10, 2018 - 4:52 PM
I would like to see a big inflatable rat in front of the Fox River stations.
#9 by Bill on November 10, 2018 - 10:45 AM
Rich S.,
When the district was founded, they stated they could provide better service with part time and contract personnel. These personnel would provide a better service than union personnel because they were younger and they wouldn’t need to make as much money. The district stated that they could keep tax dollars low because of this. Now, they are asking for an increase in tax dollars due to the fact that these younger, better firefighters are leaving for better paying jobs and they are not able to retain anyone. DUH!! Unfortunately, the taxpayers have been lied to since day one. The district is not able to provide better service than what St. Charles was providing. The hostility runs deep and rightly so. They deserve to have the referendums fail. I’m glad the taxpayers see they have been lied to and are not standing for it. The district should be disbanded and have the district divided among the surrounding capable departments. And, when the district was formed, it took response areas away from a union department, which impacted union members. That is the problem with union firefighters working there part time.
#10 by rich s. on November 8, 2018 - 9:18 PM
WOW, seems a bit hostile Joe. There are in fact several department around the chicagoland area that are staffed by part-time off duty firefighters from other full time union departments. I’m not sure why this particular department is so bad but I do know that on the east coast almost every smaller department is staffed by off duty FDNY guys and there is no IAFF issue. I love how its fine for guys to pull wire or plum or work in an ER or whatever off duty and its fine. seems a bit hypocritical but hey to each his own.
#11 by Joe on November 8, 2018 - 10:10 AM
This is a union issue, a service issue, and a transparency in taxpayer dollars issue. The department is staffed by personnel who are employed by Paramedic Services of Illinois (PSI), a private company. The owners of this company are lining their pockets with money from the taxpayers. They are profiting off of this district being incapable of providing adequate service to its citizens.
The department is staffed by many union firefighters who are choosing to scab there and help the PSI owners line their pockets. This makes it harder for their unions to secure them better working conditions, benefits, and wages at their primary departments. This is a slap in the face to the hardworking men and women at the AFFI and locals throughout the state who have worked tirelessly for years to secure better conditions for union firefighters.
The Illinois State Fire Marshal would divvy up the district between surrounding communities that could actually provide adequate service for the citizens of the area. As of right now, PSI promised they could provide the service for a low cost and as we’ve seen over and over, good public safety comes at a cost. The only thing that changes if this referendum ever passes is that PSI makes more money. I’d rather have public safety provided by a reputable and transparent government entity then by a private company that answers to no one except themselves.
Public safety isn’t a for-profit entity. It simply doesn’t work like that.
#12 by Rich S. on November 7, 2018 - 7:59 PM
So this is a union issue? Or a service issue? Who is going to serve these communities if the place closes?
#13 by Mike L on November 7, 2018 - 7:43 PM
It was started about 8 or 9 years ago by an anti union resident and a disgraced battalion chief from another department by breaking away a chunk of St Charles Fire Dept. They were anti union and anti pension, etc. They started FRCFPD using contract and part time FF medics. The BC was let go from his original department for lying about residency so he cozied up to the anti union guy to make him the chief of Fox River. It’s been a joke since Day 1.
#14 by rich S. on November 7, 2018 - 6:39 PM
Why is this department so hated?
#15 by Mike C on November 7, 2018 - 5:00 PM
Exactly what the other Mike said. The referendums have been rejected at least 4 times! I think it might be 5 or 6. Shut this department down! What a joke!
#16 by Mike on November 7, 2018 - 12:45 PM
This is not the 2nd time they went for referendum. This is like the 4th or 5th time and it keeps failing. That should send a message to the board to end this science experiment