Elburn, Fox River fire officials field 'emotionally charged' questions
Whether it's a good idea for residents of an area in Wasco and Campton Hills to leave the Elburn fire district depends on your financial philosophy, and which district will show up faster to your medical and fire emergencies.
There's the Elburn district's choice of pay-as-you-go, saving up money for years to buy land for a new headquarters station, equipment and a possible third permanent station in Lily Lake.
Then there's the Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District practice: To get the district going, it has borrowed more than $4 million for land, stations and equipment.
People who attended a forum Wednesday night at Fox River Station 1 in Wasco fell mostly on the anti-disconnection side, judging by the critical comments directed to Fox River fire officials.
"This is a very emotionally charged situation, there is no doubt about that," said Fox River Chief Greg Benson, more than two hours into the meeting.
He and Elburn and Countryside Fire Protection District Chief Kelly Callaghan answered questions about property taxes, response times, automatic aid agreements and more.
Audience members booed when Benson said the Fox River fire board had not asked for the referendum but that it instead was requested by residents of the area in the area proposed to be disconnected. One woman noted that Ellen Nottke, a Batavia resident who operates a political consulting business, had collected the majority of the signatures on the petitions for the referendum.
Benson said both districts have ordinances that allow them to charge fees for certain services, including medical calls, hazardous-material calls, automobile extrications and more. Both chiefs said their districts can choose not to bill those charges.
Much of the evening's questioning and criticism centered on the amount of Fox River's debt. If the area in question disconnects, its residents will pay property taxes to Fox River. Those taxes would help to pay the debt, taken out to buy equipment and to build a station in South Elgin.
One questioner accused Fox River elected officials, including board President James Gaffney, of lobbying the Lily Lake village board to deny Elburn permission to open a station in Lily Lake. The permit was granted, and the station - a rental, housing an advanced life support-equipped engine - opened Oct. 1.
Gaffney disagreed with that and when pressed about what he had done at Lily Lake said he asked questions about the safety of the building.
Gaffney had also collected petition signatures.
Fox River used to be called the St. Charles and Countryside Fire Protection District. The district changed the name in 2011, when it stopped contracting for services from the city of St. Charles. It hires its paramedics and firefighters from a private company.
"Age in itself doesn't necessarily mean better service." Benson said, in response to a question about how it could serve the area better than the Elburn district, which has existed for 132 years.