Press backs KCFR bond
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 14 years, 6 months AGO
Some 45,000 residents trust Kootenai County Fire & Rescue with their lives.
We suggest they also trust this outstanding public safety agency with a little bit of their hard-earned money.
Next Tuesday, KCFR is asking voters in the fire district - comprised of Post Falls, Dalton Gardens, Huetter, State Line, Fernan Village and several unincorporated areas of Kootenai County - for a new bond to replace the one that expires in September. At the heart of the request is money for a professional training center with unlimited access for firefighters who could respond immediately to emergency calls while training.
The bad news is, providing the funding necessary for the capital projects that also include administrative building improvements will cost the owner of a home with an assessed value of $200,000 about $14 a year for 10 years.
The good news is that property owners aren't likely to see an actual increase in their property tax bill because the new bond will be replacing an almost identical one.
While the remodeled administration building will improve efficiency, the training facility will help improve response times and quality of aid. KCFR now does all its training in Coeur d'Alene - a community it does not serve. The training site next to the admin building on Seltice Way near the National Guard Armory is a much better location for serving most of the agency's constituents.
This isn't a knee-jerk request. Work on developing the training complex has been going on for several years, and in the meantime, KCFR has saved almost $1 million to ease the burden on taxpayers.
KCFR needs and deserves your support. The agency has a sterling record of public safety, responding to 4,511 emergency calls last year in an area covering 114 square miles. It employs 58 people full-time and benefits from an additional 32 volunteers.
Two-thirds voter approval is needed for these important projects to move forward. We urge voters within the fire district to support this bond issue on Tuesday. Polls are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the KCFR stations in Post Falls (3820 E. 16th Ave.) and in Dalton Gardens (6288 N. Fourth St.).
For more information, see KCFR's Web site, kootenaifire.com.
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