Bond issue for Boone County Fire Protection District on April 4 ballot

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An $8 million bond issue for the Boone County Fire Protection District will be on the April 4 ballot.

If passed, it could mean major renovations for local fire stations and allow it to purchase better equipment. This is how the money will be spent:

• $5 million will go towards building a new fire station to replace the one on Route K.
• $2 million will go towards purchasing new trucks to put on the front line.
• The remaining $1 million will go towards equipment for stations.

"You know that's something that everyone would benefit from in the entire community, you know we've got 492 square miles, 15 different fire stations, 9 different municipalities that we are serving,” Assistant Chief Gale Blomenkamp said. “And so we try to spread the wealth so to speak with these bond issues so everybody sees some benefit in voting in the bond issue itself" 

This is a no-tax increase bond issue, meaning that paying back the bonds would not increase taxes.

It's a continuation of the 10-year capital improvement plan that started in 2021, and paid for by the 25-cent property tax levy that voters approved in 2014.