Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:
The First Fire Protection District of Antioch has named Jon Cokefair, who had been serving in an interim capacity, as the first fire chief since merging with the village of Antioch Fire Department.
Cokefair is a 40-year resident of Lake County with nearly 30 years of fire service experience. He was also a two-term member of the Grayslake Community High School District 127 board of education.
Voters Tuesday will head to the polls to vote for the first elected board members of the fire district, which was created through a referendum in November, merging the fire district with the municipal fire department. Previously, the fire district’s board was appointed.
Prior to the merger, the First Fire Protection District of Antioch and its staff of full-time firefighters and paramedics provided services to the village of Antioch and Antioch Township. The Antioch Fire Department provided volunteer firefighters for use by the fire district.
The voter-backed merger means the village of Antioch and the township no longer have to negotiate contracts to provide fire service in the village where property owners are now included in and pay taxes directly to the fire protection district.
While changes at the fire district were mostly operational, property owners in Antioch saw their taxes increase about 15 cents per $100 of equalized assessed valuation.
thanks Dan
