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Bourbon Fire Protection District Call For Assistance
It is odd to think that the ones who are called to handle an emergency situation may ask for a little help from time to time. The Bourbon Fire Protection District is doing just that by asking the community for their assistance. As a means of raising funds for growth, a sales tax proposal is on the Apr. 8 ballot. The proposal will decrease property taxes up to 50 percent with a half- cent sales tax.
Assistant fire chief Daniel Whatley explained, “The fire district cannot expand like it needs to without the added funding. This funding is needed to keep up with growth and the needs of the community. We have occupied our current station since 1947 with an addition in 1976. With the increase in specialized emergency services we provide, we have by far outgrown our current facility.”
If this proposal passes, the fire department will manage to progress in several areas. The main area being a new station. A lot in the new industrial park, located at Hwy. C and the N. Service Rd., was allocated by the city. In building the new station, adequate housing for all department apparatus would be provided while allowing room for future growth.
Other areas for improvement are updating fire equipment, firefighter training, firefighter recruitment and retention, and community education and prevention. These improvements are ongoing and help in limiting injury or death throughout the community.
This sales tax would share the cost with all people purchasing goods or services within the fire district. It would cost a little when shopping versus a lump sum at the end of the year. Under the proposal, a consumer would have to spend $4,681.60 more a year locally to be effected.
The Bourbon Fire Protection District believes this to be the fairest way of funding. It would not penalize an individual in the area for having a nice home or car. In fact, those with a home worth $100,000 pay approximately $53.20 in personal property tax. Under this proposal, property tax on that home could drop 44 percent and the homeowner would then pay $29.80.
The fire district stands ready to respond to calls for residents and nonresidents (29 percent of calls are for out-of-town service), which is why the sales tax is proposed. Visitors and workers who don’t live in Bourbon, still shop in Bourbon, thus paying for services available to them.
“The fire district is striving to bring the best possible service to our citizens without raising the property taxes. Fire protection is very seldom thought about until it is needed. We just want to be prepared with the right equipment and training. It has been many years since the fire district has asked for additional funding and this is the fairest of all ways to the taxpayers of Bourbon,” stated fire captain Steve Kimker.
For more information about the proposal, please contact (573) 732-4405 or email bfpd@fidnet.com.
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