Encouraged by what they believe has been increased support in recent elections, Fox River & Countryside fire officials are asking voters again this spring for a property tax hike.
A binding referendum question on the April 2 ballot will seek a 63 percent increase in the taxes paid to the fire/rescue district, Chief John Nixon said. If approved, he said, the measure would put an additional $1.1 million in the district's coffers each year to raise staffing levels and fund equipment replacements and repairs.
Voters have shot down six previous attempts by the district to raise the property tax rate in the last several years. The margin by which those measures failed has significantly narrowed since the district's first request, Nixon said, making officials hopeful for a more positive outcome this time around.
The fire board found the March 2018 election especially promising, Nixon said, given the fact that a proposed 60 percent increase failed by only 32 votes.