Posts Tagged voters to choose fire district

Voters to select fire district (more)

Oct 29

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News | 1 Comment

Kanecountyconnects.com has an open letter from the Elburn & Countryside FPD chief about the upcoming ballot initiative regarding fire district coverage for some residents.

Editor’s Note: The following is a guest essay from Elburn & Countryside Fire Protection District Fire Chief Kelly P. Callaghan.

Dear Editor:

Because of the Nov. 4, 2014, referendum, the recently formed Fox River & Countryside Fire/Rescue District has been spending a lot of time defending their fire district in the press. In one of their letters, they stated that “Change tends to bring out strong emotion.” They are correct; change can be quite emotional, especially when that change affects your tax dollars.

Drew Frasz, our Kane County Board representative, stated in a Letter to the Editor, “Many government bodies have struggled with down revenues over the last few years, but hostile takeovers of areas that have been well-served by fiscally responsible agencies is not something I support.” We couldn’t agree more.

Fox River needs to acquire more rooftops to pay off their $4.4 million debt to continue to operate. This disconnection is about money, not public safety. If this were about public safety, as Fox River claims, they wouldn’t have repeatedly tried to stop the Elburn & Countryside Fire Protection District from opening a station in Lily Lake to better serve the district. If this were about public safety, they wouldn’t have repeatedly tried to stop the villages of Elburn and Lily Lake from opposing and speaking out against the disconnection and supporting the Elburn & Countryside Fire Protection District, which has served and protected their citizens for more than 132 years.

Are you willing to take on Fox River’s $4.4 million in debt? If you choose to disconnect from Elburn Fire, this is exactly what the referendum covers: You are taking on their debt. Eventually you and your hard-earned tax dollars will be called upon to retire that $4.4 million in debt, as well as pay for all the extra equipment and personnel they will need to serve you and your family.

While Fox River continues to acquire more debt and has done so since their inception, Elburn & Countryside Fire Protection District has no debt, no hidden costs, and no new taxes. Fox River’s math just doesn’t add up.

Let the facts speak for themselves, and let your voices be heard.

PLEASE VOTE NO on Nov. 4!

Kelly P. Callaghan
Fire Chief, Elburn & Countryside Fire Protection District

thanks Dan

Tags: Elburn & Countryside FPD, Elburn and Countryside Fire Protection District, Fox River & Countryside Fire/Rescue District, voters to choose fire district

Voters to select fire district (more)

Oct 25

Posted by Admin in Fire Department News | 1 Comment

The Daily Herald has a followup article on the referendum about whether residents will move from the Elburn & Countryside FPD to the Fox River Fire/Rescue District:

A Kane County judge has agreed not to immediately certify results of a Nov. 4 referendum asking if some properties should be allowed to disconnect from the Elburn Fire Protection District. Circuit Judge David Akemann agreed to the delay Monday at the request of the Elburn fire district, which is appealing his Aug. 28 decision to allow the referendum to take place.

If voters approve the disconnection, Akemann would be asked to certify the vote and order the disconnection. If voters decide not to, Akemann would have to dismiss the petition, according to a motion filed by the Fox River district, which opposed the stay.

The appellate court has given the districts until Feb. 10 to file motions and replies on the appeal.

Voters in a portion of Campton Hills, Wasco and unincorporated areas are being asked whether they want to join the Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District instead.

The Elburn district contends, in an appeal it filed with the Illinois 2nd District Appellate Court, that the petitioners who sought the referendum didn’t adequately prove requirements for allowing the referendum. Under state law, Akemann had to judge whether the area in question would receive equal or better service.

The petition for disconnection was filed July 17. Hearings were held in August. Elburn fire district officials argued they hadn’t had enough time to prepare a case that would counter the petitioners’ claims about taxes, fees, response times, facilities and more. The Fox River district says it could respond faster to emergencies, and would charge less property taxes.

The Elburn district has also asked Akemann to vacate his Aug. 28 order, but he has not ruled on that request. Attorneys for the Fox River district argue Akemann’s decision can’t be appealed, and that the stay of judgment would eliminate the “ability to obtain relief sought by the petition for disconnection.”

The area in question is bounded roughly by Campton Hill, La Fox, Burlington, Empire, Silver Glen and Swanberg roads.

thanks Dan

Tags: Elburn and Countryside Fire Protection District, Elburn and Countryside Fire Protection District Chief Kelly Callaghan, Elburn Fire Protection District, Fox River & Countryside Fire/Rescue District, Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District, Fox River Fire Chief Greg Benson, voters to choose fire district

Voters to select fire district

Oct 21

Posted by Admin in Fire Service News | 1 Comment

The Kane County Chronicle has an article about the ballot referendum for some residents in the Elburn Fire Protection District:

Select voters in the Elburn fire district will decide Nov. 4 whether they want to join the Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District.

The upcoming ballot measure regarding fire service has turned political. The Elburn Village Board recently approved a resolution opposing the potential disconnection, and Fox River Fire Chief Greg Benson said some opponents are spreading misinformation about his district.

About 3,000 registered voters live in the proposed disconnect area, a territory roughly bound by LaFox Road to the east, Anderson Road to the west, Campton Hills Road to the south and Silver Glen Road to the north.

Elburn and Countryside Fire Protection District Chief Kelly Callaghan said his agency has a proven track record of taking care of that area for both fire and EMS, and it recently opened a station in Lily Lake to better serve it. “Our department has been in existence 132 years, much more than three,” Callaghan said.

Benson said the quality of service shouldn’t be an issue because a judge determined the territory would receive comparable service from the Fox River district. In fact, he said, residents should experience shorter 911 call processing times. Currently, calls from the disconnect area are received by Kane Comm and are transferred to Tri-Com before units are dispatched, a process that can take up to four minutes, he said. Fox River calls are received and dispatched by Kane Comm, he said, a process that takes up to 21/2 minutes.

Property owners would pay less in taxes should they join the Fox River district, Benson said, noting Elburn’s tax rate is about 0.79 and Fox River’s is about 0.27. To illustrate the potential savings, the Fox River district compiled a list of addresses in the disconnect area, the taxes they paid to Elburn and the projected taxes they would pay to Fox River. According to the list, a home in the 40W000 block of Fox Creek Drive in Campton Hills paid $1,548.28 in taxes to Elburn and would pay an estimated $524.44 to Fox River – a difference of $1,023.84. On the lower end of potential savings, another home in the village might see a difference of about $350.

Should the disconnect be approved, Callaghan said the Elburn district won’t know the exact amount the district would lose in property taxes until the levy is approved. “We’re going to do everything we can not to lay off,” he said. “We still have 20,000 people in our district that we have to provide the same services for.”

Both fire districts charge EMS fees – the chiefs said it is common practice – and the rates vary by residency status and ambulance type.

Benson said his district also has been accused of charging fees for fire responses, which he said is not true. However, he said, its cost recovery ordinance gives the district the ability to charge a fee in certain circumstances, such as arsons or other illegal activities. Similarly, he said, a fee could be brought against someone who has a history of false fire alarms and refuses to fix the alarm system.