Central Fire Department Tax: Benefits and Cost

    On December 6th Central area voters will go to the polls to consider a new 4.25 mill property tax in support of additional staffing for the Central Fire Department.  As always, Central Speaks encourages everyone to go vote, and hopes the summary below will help in your decision process.

Benefits:
– Provides a second firefighter at two stations that currently are staffed around the clock by a single firefighter.
– Eliminates the need to send a unit from another station to safely handle a call for service.
– Eliminates gaps in coverage by keeping those additional fire trucks at their home stations to respond to nearby calls.
– Improves firefighter safety at the station and on calls for service by having two firefighters at every station.

Cost:
– 4.25 Mill Property Tax
– Approximate Cost By Home Value:
      $100,000 Home – Less than $1 per month
      $200,000 Home – Less than $3 per month
      $300,000 Home – Less than $5 per month

     The Central Fire Department was established in 1972 and currently operates from five fire stations.   These stations cover over 60 square miles, and respond to 2500 calls for service per year, protecting 35,000 people and 10,800 homes and businesses, with a value over 1.5 billion dollars. 
     Citizens of the Central Fire Department pay less than 2.5 million dollars in taxes and service fees to the fire district each year.  In contrast, Central Fire Department home and business owners save over 14 million dollars on their fire insurance premiums each year.