Endorsement: Yes to maintain services in Bartlett fire district
Residents of the Bartlett Fire Protection District could see their property taxes increase by an average of $100 a year if they approve the district's tax increase request. That figure is not small. Nor is the increasing demand on the department, which now answers 4,000 calls a year while tax revenue has grown only 3 percent in eight years. Without this increase - based on a similar measure that failed last April - the district will cut three positions per shift, drop one of its three engines and close one of its three stations on a rotating basis throughout the year. Such cuts surely compromise the district's ability to provide its constituents the security and safety they expect. We recommend a yes vote.