The Antonia Fire Protection District received tremendous support from voters on Nov. 5, when they approved an $11 million bond that will be used to fund the construction of a new firehouse and other improvements.
The measure, called Proposition Safety, required a four-sevenths (57.14 percent) majority vote for approval, and it was passed with 6,334 yes votes, or approximately 70.83 percent, to 2,609 no votes, or about 29.17 percent.
“We are thrilled,” Deputy Chief Bobby Chrisco said. “It will allow us to go through with our plan of building the station to improve response times, order the firetrucks and do the renovations at House 2.”
The bond issue will raise the district’s tax rate by 19.8 cents per $100 assessed valuation, increasing the rate from 90.33 cents per $100 assessed valuation to $1.1013 per $100 assessed valuation.
A district resident with a home valued at $200,000 by the Jefferson County Assessor’s Office will pay an additional $75.24 per year, for a total of $418.49 per year.
Antonia Fire will need to pay off the $11 million bond in the next 20 years.
Chrisco said the bond issue is needed to cover the cost of building a new Firehouse 1 near the intersection of Old Hwy. 21 and Hwy. M in the Otto area, renovating House 2 at 6633 Moss Hollow Road in Barnhart and purchasing up to two firetrucks over the next 20 years.
“It is huge,” Chrisco said of having the funding available for the improvement projects. “We would have probably had to take out a loan and figure out how to pay for that (if the bond issue hadn’t passed).
“(The bond funds) will offset our general operating budget because we will not have to take out a massive loan that would make things tight. Now, if a piece of equipment breaks or a firetruck breaks down, we will not have to figure out how to pay that and continue operating with the same service.”
Chrisco said the Antonia Fire District anticipates spending approximately $2 million to build the new House 1.
In June 2023, the district paid $33,572 to purchase the approximately 2-acre parcel of land from the Missouri Department of Transportation where the new House 1 will be built. It paid for the property with proceeds from its $225,000 sale of the old House 1 at 3538 Old Hwy. M, in February 2023.
After the new House 1 is constructed, Chrisco said Antonia Fire will no longer staff House 3 at 7138 Old Hwy. 21 in Otto, adding that the district will either sell or use that house for storage.
“We have been slowly making progress as far as design,” he said of the new house. “Now, we can be a little more aggressive. I am hopeful that we break ground in early spring of next year. Hopefully, by the end of next year we are in that building or by the beginning of 2026.”
Chrisco said after more than a year of planning, Antonia Fire ordered a new firetruck in August. He said the truck is not expected to be delivered until 2026, which is when the district will pay for it.
Chrisco said the approximate cost for the new firetruck is $1.1 million. The last firetruck Antonia Fire purchased was in 2017, and it cost approximately $550,000.
He also said Antonia Fire plans to buy another new firetruck using bond money near the end of the 20-year debt cycle.
Some of the renovations planned for House 2 include replacing concrete, garage doors and openers, and those renovations are expected to cost approximately $850,000.
“Over the next six months, we will sell bonds for the amount needed for (the new house), firetruck and immediate repairs needed at the station (House 2),” Chrisco said. “The money will go into a money market account to pay for those things as they come, and we will pay the bonds over the next 20 years. We will make sure we manage this bond appropriately.”
Chrisco said he believes the bond issue passed with so much support because Antonia Fire had put together a good plan and communicated well with residents and because it has the residents’ trust.
“I think the biggest thing when anyone is going to pay more for something is they want to know the why,” he said. “Everybody internally had the same message. Everybody was on board and understood exactly what we were trying to accomplish, and we made sure we consistently conveyed that.
“Overall, I think it passed because of the image we have in the community and the trust and support we have from the community.”