Boone County Fire proposes $6 million bond issue on April ballot
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Boone County voters will decide on a Boone County Fire Protection District bond issue on April 8.
The bond will not result in a tax increase for residents. The outcome of the bond election determines whether a $6 million upgrade will be used for infrastructure and equipment needs.
"Every community, every fire station that we have will receive and see [new] things, new equipment, new upgrades," Assistant Chief Gale Blomenkamp said.
This is how the question will appear on the general municipal election ballot:
“Shall Boone County Fire Protection District, Boone County, Missouri, issue its general obligation bonds in the amount of $6,000,000 for the purpose of acquiring real property; constructing, improving, renovating, repairing, furnishing and equipping new and existing fire stations and additions thereto; and acquiring fire trucks, vehicles and other firefighting and emergency apparatus, equipment and communication systems and technology?”
The no-tax increase bond issue is a continuation of the bond tax approved by voters in 2014 which is 25 cents per $100 of assessed valuation on real and personal property taxes.
It also continues BCFPD's rolling 10-year capital improvement plan that seeks voter approval for no tax increase bond issues every two years. The plan helps fund fire truck replacements, equipment upgrades, facility improvements and aims to avoid larger bond issues that would increase taxes in the future.
The last bond issue was in 2023 for $8 million, which was used to replace and upgrade fire equipment and build a new fire station.
"The district is committed to ensuring public safety and improving its infrastructure to meet the growing needs of the community," BCFPD's website says.
BCFPD outlined its needs and provided a breakdown of what the funds would be used for on its website.
There would be $2,030,000 used for fire equipment. This includes purchasing a fire engine, an air and light truck, traffic control trucks, and a gear vehicle.
BCFPD says it needs to replace a 2007 Engine and a 1993 Air Truck it received15 years ago.
"It's a 1993 model Air Truck that we bought used actually from the Columbia Fire Department about 10 or 15 years ago," Blomenkamp said. "So it's well beyond its useful life."
It is also adding two highway safety trucks to help protect scenes on highways. Blomenkamp says it is similar to what the Missouri Department of Transportation has for its construction crews.
“Our biggest exposure and our highest, most dangerous thing that we do is work on highways,” Blomenkamp said.
The highway safety trucks have attenuators to help block and protect firefighter working a highway scene.
“It’s made to absorb an impact should there be a vehicle that strikes that vehicle from behind,” Blomenkamp said.
Boone County Fire Assistant Chief Bryant Gladney died when a truck hit his car on Interstate 70 while working a crash in 2021.
The purchase of a new support vehicle would help transport personal protective equipment to major fire scenes, according to the agency. BCFPD says the vehicle would allow them to outfit firefighters with clean gear until theirs can be decontaminated.
Of the total, $3,570,000 would be for firefighter equipment. This includes a self-contained breathing apparatus, APX8000 tri-band radios and on-demand bunker gear to outfit firefighters with clean gear after major fires.
Facility enhancements -- including washers and dryers at all fire stations, training centers and headquarters -- would require $400,000.
“There's one washer at each fire station," Blomenkamp said. "And so for those 15 people or 12 people or seven people to take turns to wash their gear and get it dried, puts them out of service for an extended period of time.”
He said using dirty equipment can be dangerous.
“Cancer-causing chemicals and agents and off gassing are something that we're really trying to fix with that [washers and dryers],” Blomenkamp said.
BCFPD says some equipment it has is more than 20 years old and has greatly exceeded its life expectancy. With maintenance costs also rising, the Fire District says these are now crucial needs.
A new fire engine costs around $880,000 compared to $178,000 in 1999, BCFPD says.
The bonds for apparatus and equipment will be paid off in 10 years and 20 years for facility construction, according to the Fire District.
BCFPD has 180 volunteer firefighters and 28 career support staff. The district says it would cost around $33,566,446 to fully staff BCFPD with career personnel. Annual volunteer savings are around $28,137,446.
"The volunteers are saving this community about $30 million from a paid fire department," Blomenkamp said. "And so that support is always, has always been appreciated. We've always had great support from our community."
BCFPD responded to 3,902 calls for service in 2024; 1,594 were fire-related and 2,308 for rescue, emergency medical and motor vehicle accidents. In 2024, its volunteer firefighters served nearly 250,000 hours.
