PONDERAY — The Northside Fire District is hosting a series of public meetings in the coming weeks to consider a tax increase to pay for capital improvements and paid staff positions.

The first meeting is set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the Hidden Valley Worship Center, located at 86 Hidden Valley Road. A second meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 27, at Northside Elementary School on Colburn Culver Road. A third meeting is planned for May 12 at Northside Fire’s main station at 437 Cedar St. in Ponderay.

“The (fire district) commissioners are putting on the presentation and they’ll listen to what people have to say,” said Assistant Fire Chief Bob McArthur.

Northside patrons would vote on the levy measure during the May 25 primary election.

District patrons are currently taxed $26.65 per $100,000 of assessed valuation on a property. If approved by voters, that cost would rise to $50.11 per $100,000, according to McArthur.

“We would like to put on full-time, paid personnel,” he said.

The added income would also be used to pay for a new main station in the Ponderay area. The current station can’t be expanded and is situated within a residential neighborhood with narrow roads, McArthur said.