Coeur d'Alene City Council greenlights $16.4M bond election for fire department

The Coeur d’Alene City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved sending a $16.4 million general obligation bond for the fire department to voters. 

“Now we have 77 days until the election in May, and we have a lot of work to do,” said Fire Chief Tom Greif. 

The election is scheduled for May 20. The 10-year bond needs 66 2/3 support to pass. 

The department is looking to replace aging ladder trucks, pumper engines, aerial apparatus, and command vehicles, remodel two stations and perhaps rebuild another, and purchase new gear. 

Fire apparatus fleet and equipment are pegged at $10.1 million, while facility upgrades and remodels are pegged at $6.3 million. 

“We are quite literally running the wheels off our rigs,” said Gabe Eckert of the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department.

He said firefighters want to give citizens the best service possible, and approval of the bond will allow them to do it. 

“They deserve nothing less,” he said. 

Josh Hoston, also a member of the fire department, told the council it’s a pleasure to serve the city, “but we need your help.” 

The cost of the bond to the owner of a $425,000 home after the $125,000 homeowners’ exemption would be about $69 a year, or $5.75 a month. 

That’s more than double what the same homeowner would be paying now, $31 a year, for the current $6 million, 10-year public safety bond approved in 2015. 

Greif said the increase is due to inflation and substantially higher costs for construction, equipment and fire trucks. 

While he said they are aware that property taxes can be a sensitive topic, he also noted a survey in February of about 15,000 residents found strong support for the bond. He said they can justify everything they are asking for in the bond.

“We’ll allow the voters to invest in their fire department,” he said. 

Whether to completely rebuild Station 2 or do an extensive remodel was discussed.

Greif said Station 2, built in 1992 with additions since, is the city’s busiest station but has only five firefighters. It needs eight.

“It’s time to upgrade that station,” he said. 

Capt. Jeff Fletcher said they "utilize every square inch of that station."

“It doesn’t function well for us going into the future.” 

Councilor Kenny Gabriel, who retired as fire chief in 2022, said he worked the first shift at Station 2 when it opened. He called for a complete rebuild.

“Build for the future out there,” he said. 

Councilor Dan Gookin agreed. 

“We’ve got to do it right,” he said. 

Greif said that with the council's approval of the bond election, they will begin an outreach and education campaign so residents are aware of what the department needs, why, and what it will cost. 

He wants to be sure citizens know the department doesn’t just fight fires but responds to a variety of emergency situations, including accidents, medical and hazardous situations.

Greif said that while the projected apparatus purchases are close to a fixed number, estimating construction costs is a challenge. 

“The sooner we get going, the better,” Greif said.