St. Charles fire board supports $300,000 expense

St. Charles Countryside Fire Protection District trustees Wednesday tentatively approved a $300,000 raise for their only full-time employee -- the city of St. Charles.

The informal action by the district board was agreed upon reluctantly but unanimously after learning it had essentially underpaid the city for fire services under an old contract set to expire at the end of this month.

The one-time expense could be voted upon as early as Monday, but trustees said it would be contingent on the two parties ironing out details of a new contract that carves up expenses more fairly.

"We're on the same team and we want the same thing -- to take care of our constituents," district Trustee John Gamboa said.

The property-tax funded district serves some 25,000 residents in a 52-square-mile area that includes unincorporated areas near St. Charles and the entire village of Wayne.

Because it has no firefighters or infrastructure, the rural district has always contracted its services out to the city's municipal fire department.

On Wednesday, Assistant City Fire Chief Joe Schelstreet said that due to a clause in the contract capping annual increases at 5 percent, the district paid for only 14.5 percent of the fire department's 2007-08 budget while receiving about 21 percent of the department's total service. This discrepancy and others came up as the parties began working on a new contract.

"This is an attempt to settle or at least stop that regressive trend," St. Charles Mayor Don DeWitte said.

The district has more than $1 million in cash reserves on hand, and trustees had originally planned to add about $279,000 to that amount in the upcoming fiscal year. Instead, they now plan to redirect that $279,000 to the city, then tap into remaining reserves for the rest.

District board President Ed Malek said he was comfortable with the extra expense as long as the city and district come up with a better contract for the future.

"I don't necessarily want to be at this juncture again in a year," he said.