October 21, 2004

 

Kaneville Fire Dept. in need of bigger budget

by Matt Brennan

In order for the Kaneville Fire Department to operate in an effective manner, Fire Chief Dave Sigmund said the department needs to increase its budget from about $90,000 a year to $200,000.

"Under our current budget, we just don't have the money," Sigmund said. "We can't count on volunteers forever. We also have to replace some of our equipment and trucks, which will require us to spend $1 million in the next 10 years."

In order to accomplish this, there is a referendum on the table for Kaneville to increase the property tax extension limitation from 1.9 percent to 143 percent for the 2004 levy year. If the referendum passes, the tax rate would increase about 32 percent.

This means, for someone paying taxes on a $150,000 home, it would be an increase of $12.18 a month, or $146.20 per year. For someone paying on a $200,000 home, it would be an increase of $16.55 a month, or $198.60 a year.

The biggest reasons for the necessary budget increase are the replacement of equipment and the expense of training personnel, Sigmund said.

There are six trucks within the department, and they are getting old, he said.

"A full-size tanker can cost $250,000," he said. "They are on a schedule of slowly getting replaced."

In addition to the trucks, it costs $1,200 to outfit a firefighter with pants and a jacket, Sigmund said.

There is also a proposed increase in training requirements for state certification of firefighters that would require a cost of $900 a firefighter, Sigmund said.

There are also issues with other personnel that may eventually require more

money, he said.

"The maintenance and the cleanup are all done for free, and you can't count on that forever," he said.

While there is nothing currently wrong with the building, Sigmund said it is always smart to keep some money away for it.

"If we ever need to expand, we'll expand, but right now it's a matter of keeping what we have," he said. "We have to put money away for the building. You can't predict, but you have to prepare."

The Kaneville Fire Protection District has not had a tax rate increase since the district's inception in 1921.