Coeur d'Alene Fire Department bond survey underway

A survey to gauge community support for a general obligation bond for the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department is underway. 

About 15,500 text messages asking a series of questions went out this week to registered voters in the city. North Idaho College, the Coeur d’Alene School District, the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber and others also agreed to share the survey with staff and members. 

The survey will be open three weeks. A presentation of the results is scheduled before the City Council on Feb. 18. 

“We need about 400 surveys back to get a good, reliable feel for what the pulse of the community is,” Fire Chief Tom Greif said. 

The department is looking at needs that include a new fire engine, ladder truck, command vehicles, the update and expansion of several stations and perhaps even rebuilding one.

Total costs of a 10-year bond are pegged at $16.4 million in a fire department bond outline. 

A proposal could go to voters in May. 

The survey being conducted by Zions Public Finances and Portman Square asks several questions, including: 

• Are you aware of the current condition and needs of our local fire department? 

• Would you support a bond measure to fund replacing aging fire trucks? 

• How would you rate the importance of maintaining and improving fire department services in our community? 

• What additional information would you need to decide whether to support a bond measure? 

• According to the survey, "The anticipated annual tax impact to fund the department’s needs is approximately $17 per $100,000 in property value. Would you find that an acceptable tax impact for investment in our EMS and fire services?” 

Greif provided some figures for comparison purposes. 

The 10-year, 2015 GOB that received 85% voter approval to fund capital expenditures for the police and fire departments was $6 million. For a home with a taxable value of $426,980 after the homeowner's exemption of $125,000, the bond's cost was $30.95 a year, or $2.58 a month. 

Under a $16.4 million bond, a home with a taxable value of $428,577 after the exemption would have a projected cost to a homeowner of $72.92 a year, or $6.08 a month. 

If the bond were $14 million, it would cost about $62.32, or $5.19 a month. 

Greif said the tentative bond amount and results tax increase are higher due to inflation and other rising costs. 

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

A rebuild of Station No. 2, built in 1992 and one of the busiest stations, is estimated at $6 million.

“We're just trying to get some numbers out there so taxpayers can get an idea of the cost," Greif said.

The City Council has a few options. It could approve putting a $16 million bond before voters, it could reduce that amount, or it could decline to place it before voters. 

A general obligation bond needs a super majority, 66 2/3, to pass. Greif said if it fails, the city could try again in November, or it could look into leasing fire trucks, which would affect the general fund. 

“There’s no way to buy $10 million worth of fire trucks with the general fund,” he said. 

If the bond were to pass in May and the city ordered new fire trucks in July, it likely would not see them before 2028. 

Greif said it is essential to have new fire trucks and gear. The fire department’s fleet is mostly older trucks, which tend to break down more often, and could leave the city relying on backup rigs. 

New fire trucks are generally used on the frontline for 10 years before going to backup status. 

“The more you use an old truck, the more time out of service they spend,” Greif said. “We can’t afford to have things breaking down."

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.