Burlington fire district wants new tax to fix aging equipment, mend deficit

Editor's note: This story was updated to say the district includes unincorporated Kane and DeKalb counties.

Burlington Fire Protection District voters will decide Tuesday if they want a new tax aimed at replacing aging equipment and balancing operational deficits.

The ballot question will ask voters to approve the new tort liability tax, amounting to 0.145 percent of their property's equalized assessed valuation, to pay for required insurance and fire education programs. The tax would amount to $72 per year for a home with a $150,000 property value and $96 for a home with a $200,000 value, Fire Chief Craig Whyte said. The district includes the village of Burlington and a surrounding 49 square miles in unincorporated Kane and DeKalb counties.

The insurance and education programs are already part of the district's budget. If approved, the new tax will yield an additional $101,500 per year, which will allow the district to offset its $20,000 or so budget deficit, put away $50,000 for vehicle replacement and put the rest in the building fund each year, Whyte said.

The new tax would show up on property tax bills next year. If voters turn it down, the district will have to reduce salaries and eliminate positions, which in turn will affect service, Whyte said.

The district's annual budget - entirely funded by property tax revenues - is about $583,000, including more than $400,000 in salaries for two full-time firefighters and 30 paid on-call employees who haven't received raises in several years, Whyte said.

Property tax revenues have declined in the last few years, mirroring a decline in the district's overall assessed value from $98 million in 2007 to $70 million in 2014, Whyte said. Meanwhile, maintenance and operational costs continue to increase, he said.

"We just have no leftover," he said. "The primary reason for this is to get money in our bank account to replace aging equipment."

Fire vehicles include a 24-year-old engine and 18-year-old engine and ambulance - all of which have hefty maintenance costs, Whyte said. A new engine costs about $500,000, and a new ambulance is about $250,000; such vehicles should be replaced every 10 years, he said.

Regardless of the outcome of Tuesday's referendum, there will be salary cuts starting June 1, Whyte said, including his own base salary of $35,000 per year.