'Double taxation' claims reverberate among Roselle fire district residents

Cries of double taxation are echoing throughout the Roselle Fire Protection District.

Starting Jan. 1, about 11,000 residents living in unincorporated areas near Roselle, Bloomingdale, Schaumburg, Itasca, Elk Grove Village and Medinah could end up paying additional fees if they dial 911 for fire assistance.

The fees would cost them anywhere from $580 for an average fire to thousands of dollars for a major emergency.

"Their proposal appears to be illegal," said Rick Main, a resident of the district. "It appears that a number of petty politicians are trying to circumvent the state's tax cap."

Main, who is president of the Medinah Homeowners Association, said about half of the association's residents belong to the fire district. Now the association is considering its options to fight the proposed fees.

In the meantime, word of the fire protection district's move has spread to other fire protection districts in the area.

Glenbard Fire Protection District Trustee Ronald G. Berquist, whose district is similar to Roselle's because it contracts for services with the village of Lombard, said he's never heard of such fees.

"I don't know whether that is going to fly or not," Berquist said. "It sounds like they're making a precedent."

He suggested that residents may not have to pay the fee.

"If you say, 'I'm not going to pay for it,' they cannot deny fire protection to you," he said. "They can't sit by and watch your house burn down."

The fees are a part of the Roselle Fire Protection District's new contract with the village of Roselle.

Roselle Fire Chief Bob Gallas said he believes the fees were suggested by an attorney.

The fire district's board of trustees has already approved the contract with the proposed fees. On Monday, Roselle leaders are expected to discuss the issue.

While it may not be legal for the district to charge the fees, it appears OK for the village to do it.

The fire district's 11,000 residents live outside Roselle's boundaries and don't pay taxes to the village. They pay the fire district.

The fire district then turns that money over to the village because it has no firehouse of its own and relies on the manpower and equipment of the Roselle Fire Department.

District officials said they had hoped to avoid the fees, but they no longer can afford to pay the village for services.

"We needed money," Roselle Fire Protection Board President Chuck Waller said. "We had to implement something."

The district has asked voters for a tax increase four times in recent years. But it hasn't had a successful request in more than 30 years.

Waller said his board discussed alternatives and tried to negotiate the best possible contract, winning a lower percentage contribution.

Under the old contract, the district paid 18 percent of the total budget of the Roselle fire department. In the new contract, the village agreed to lower that to 16.5 percent, but to assess the new fees.

The cost-sharing contract will allow the village to charge district residents $30 per hour for every firefighter that responds to a fire, plus $100 per hour for each emergency vehicle.

Fire district officials said they aren't sure if insurance would cover the expense.

Susan Hoefer, spokeswoman with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations, said the proposed fees sound unique.

Hoefer said residents should check their insurance coverage. Most homeowners policies for people living in unincorporated areas cover certain fire district fees, but they are generally capped, she said. That means a homeowner could be stuck paying much of the bill.

However, district officials insist the fees should not impact many people.

Of the roughly 2,300 calls the Roselle Fire Department responded to last year, about 300 were from the district. About 67 percent of all calls were for an ambulance, officials said.

If you go

What: Roselle Village Board meeting

When: 7 p.m. Monday

Where: Roselle Village Hall, 31 S. Prospect St.

How to check if you live within the Roselle Fire Protection District: Call the Roselle Fire Department at (630) 980-2043