Rock Community Fire Protection District voters will be asked to approve a $20 million bond issue on April 8.
Revenue from the bond issue, called Proposition Safety, would be used to fund capital improvement projects, including construction, equipment purchases and apparatus replacement, Chief Kevin Wingbermuehle said.
The measure would require a four-sevenths (57.14 percent) majority vote for approval.
If passed, the bond issue would not increase Rock Fire’s tax levy, which is $1.2344 per $100 assessed valuation. However, the district’s bond debt would be extended by 20 years.
Currently, Rock Fire’s debt service levy is 11.8 cents per $100 assessed valuation, and the district’s outstanding bonds are set to mature in 2031. If the April 8 ballot measure is approved, the bond debt would be extended to 2051.
“Despite the district’s aggressive pursuit of outside funding, such as the recent award of $192,000 through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant, these efforts are not enough to keep pace with the relentless rise in costs for mission-critical apparatus and life-saving equipment.” Wingbermuehle said.
If the bond issue is approved, he said, Rock Fire would issue bonds in phases, with the first series of bonds to be issued later this year for somewhere between $10 million and $12 million. Those funds would be used to cover the cost of replacing a 1998 fire engine and a 2006 ladder truck; purchasing land and covering construction costs for a community education and safety training center; and upgrading technology to improve emergency response capabilities and reduce response times.
“For the community education and training center, my plan is to move on that immediately,” Wingbermuehle said. “That is going to be huge for everybody. The community supports us, and we do the best we can for them. We want to give some more back to them for the support.”
Wingbermuehle said the district would have to buy land for the center, so availability and cost will dictate where it is built.
“We would prefer to keep it centrally located in the district, primarily because when we are using it for community events or training, we want our firefighters to have the quickest route of access to anywhere in our district from that location,” he said.
Rock Fire covers approximately 38 square miles in Arnold and Kimmswick and portions of Imperial, Barnhart and surrounding areas.
The center would offer a space to hold community education classes, such as CPR, first aid and safe babysitter and safe fire extinguisher use, fall prevention, elderly fire safety and fire prevention.
Firefighters also would use the center for fire and medical training.
Rock Fire currently holds community classes and training sessions at House 5, 3749 Telegraph Road, in Arnold.
“It is something that will be groundbreaking for our public,” Wingbermuehle said of the proposed center. “We are the busiest and most populous fire agency in the county, and we don’t have a dedicated training or education site.”
Wingbermuehle said the additional bond issues phases would be dictated by equipment replacement schedules and cost.
He said Rock Fire’s heart monitors are scheduled to be replaced in the next five years, and the anticipated cost would be between $350,000 and $400,000.
“We have a grant application out right now to replace those with a $350,000 request,” he said. “We are looking at opportunities outside the district to fund these things because I believe it is our responsibility to secure alternative funding sources, but they are never guaranteed and these are things we know we have to have.”
Wingbermuehle also said future bond revenue would help cover the cost to replace firetrucks, adding that the district currently replaces each truck after it has been in service for 20 years. In order to maintain that schedule, the district sets aside $700,000 from its general revenue fund each year to pay for new trucks.
He also said the cost of firetrucks has increased by an average of 6.4 percent annually over the past 10 years.
“That is a huge impact,” he said. “Those additional phases will allow us to do that and continue setting aside money for down the road when there is no bond issue (revenue) to pay for it. We are getting ahead of the growth and cost increases due to supply, demand and technology.”
The district last sought a bond issue in 2013 when voters approved a $10 million bond issue.
Wingbermuehle said he plans to hold one or two town hall meetings to discuss the bond issue with residents. An information page will be added to Rock Fire’s website, rockfire-rescue.org, and the time, date and location of town hall meetings will be announced on the district’s Facebook page.
