Fox River & Countryside fire district tax hike too close to call

Voters appeared to narrowly reject the Fox River & Countryside Fire/Rescue District's request for a property tax hike, but results were too close to call Tuesday night.

The binding referendum asked for a 60 percent increase in the taxes paid to the fire district to fund equipment replacements, as well as pay raises for emergency personnel. Unofficial tallies showed the request received 1,939 "no" votes and 1,898 "yes" votes late Tuesday, with all precincts reporting in Kane County, and two of three precincts reporting in DuPage.

If the measure fails, the district will have to cut nine firefighter positions and rotate closing one of its two stations every day - a move that will increase emergency response times for half the district on a daily basis, fire board officials said.

If it passes, the fire district's tax rate will increase from 27 to 43 cents per $100 of equalized assessed value. That means the owner of a $100,000 home would pay an additional $53 per year in property taxes.

The district's request was lower than its previous two attempts at a tax hike, both of which also failed. The district has not seen a tax rate increase in about 12 years.