Coeur d'Alene fire department bond could top $16M

A general obligation bond of more than $16 million to support the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department could go to voters in May. 

“We want to continue to be able to provide the same high level of service that we do,” Fire Chief Tom Greif said Friday. 

Greif and Michael Keith with Zions Bank are scheduled to ask the City Council on Tuesday to approve a community survey on the bond. 

If approved, the survey will launch Jan. 13. It recommends a proposed general bond amount that would replace apparatus and update existing facilities, according to a staff report.

Greif said the current “high-water mark” of $16.4 million for the bond is for the survey only. An actual resolution dollar amount will be proposed to the council in March. 

Zions Bank was hired to work with the department to come up with a detailed list of needs, costs, a proposed bond amount and the impact to taxpayers. 

The department is looking at needs that include a new fire engine, ladder truck, command vehicles, updating and expansion of several stations and self-contained breathing apparatuses.

Total costs are pegged at $16.3 million in a fire department bond outline.

The city ran its first public safety general obligation bond for $7 million in 2005, and it received 74% approval.   

In 2015, 85% of Coeur d’Alene voters supported a $6 million, 10-year public safety bond to fund capital expenditures for the police and fire departments. It replaced the 10-year bond approved by voters in 2005 and ends in August 2025.  

A new GO bond would likely be for another 10 years.

The bond this time around will be much higher than in 2015 due to inflation and other rising costs, Greif said. 

For instance, a fire engine that cost $580,000 in 2015 would now be closer to $1.2 million. A ladder truck that 10 years ago cost $1.4 million would be about $2.2 million, and command vehicles that cost $62,500 in 2015 would be around $100,000. 

“Fire engines are double what they were,” he said. 

As a rule of thumb, he said, a piece of fire apparatus is used on the frontline for 10 years and then goes to backup for five years. 

The Coeur d’Alene Fire Department has what Greif described as an aging fleet. Currently, the department has just one operable backup engine. 

He said there is about a three-year wait on new fire engines, which means the city wouldn’t see one until 2028, assuming the bond passes.

Greif said the goal of the survey is to “see what the pulse of the community is” toward the bond. 

The survey cost is estimated at $1,712, which will cover sending it to about15,500 registered city voters.  

Based upon the initial survey response, a second survey may be conducted, so the fire department is seeking approval to spend up to $3,500. That amount is not in the department’s current budget but could be funded from the city’s Debt Service Fund, according to a staff report.

The survey will be a crucial tool in shaping the bond election strategy, Greif wrote. 

It will “assess public awareness and perception of the community needs that the fire department has identified, measure support for the proposed bond election and tolerance for potential property tax increases, help us understand which aspects of the bond resonate most with residents, identify areas where we need to provide more clarity or information and demonstrate our commitment to inclusive, community-driven decision-making.” 

Greif said the results will impact their path forward.  

“We will use the insights to refine our messaging, address specific community concerns, and help your team make data-driven decisions about the bond election,” he wrote. “Understanding current support levels will also help us determine the scope of outreach needed to achieve a successful outcome in May.” 

The City Council is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Library Community Room.