Excerpts from the Daily Herald: Fire officials in the Fox Lake Fire Protection District are set to ask voters for a tax increase next month, citing concerns over aging equipment and staffing shortages at fire stations located in unincorporated areas. Chief Ron Hoehne explained that the district is facing growing challenges due to an 8% rise in emergency calls over the past year. To meet current demands, they need to add at least three full-time paramedics to their team. Currently, each station—located on Molidor Road in Ingleside and Main Street in Spring Grove—only has two paramedics per shift, working 24-hour shifts followed by 48 hours off. Hoehne said that to maintain a minimum staffing level, the Molidor Road station alone needs one additional paramedic per shift. The proposed tax increase would raise the ambulance service tax rate from $0.133 to $0.350 per $100 of equalized assessed value—an increase of 21.7 cents. For a home valued at $100,000, this would mean an extra $72 in annual property taxes. Officials estimate the new revenue could generate around $850,000 in the first year, which will be used to support both staffing and vehicle maintenance costs. Notably, residents within the village of Fox Lake are not included in this referendum, as they are under a separate three-year contract. The fire district serves 33,000 people across 30 square miles, but the vote is only open to the 22,000 residents living outside the village limits. "We've had the same ambulance tax since 1978," Hoehne said. "This is the first time we’ve ever gone to the voters for more funding. But we’re at a point where we can’t afford to keep doing things the same way anymore." He also pointed out that home values in the district have declined significantly since 2008, dropping from $580 million to $396 million in 2013. This decline has led to reduced tax revenues, while emergency call volumes have continued to grow. As a result, the district has had to use its limited reserves to cover last year’s expenses and now operates on a break-even budget. Hoehne warned that any major equipment failure or unexpected catastrophe could put the district in serious financial trouble. With 26 vehicles in their fleet, many of which are older and heavily used, maintenance costs have become increasingly difficult to manage. If approved, the tax increase would bring the ambulance rate in line with neighboring communities such as Fox River Grove, Long Grove, Lake Villa Township, and Lake Zurich, where similar services are funded through comparable rates. Thanks Dan & Ron Titanium Alloy Square Tube,Titanium Alloy Oil Pipeline,Customized Titanium Alloy Square Tube,Industrial Titanium Alloy Seamless Square Tube Jiangsu Maihe New Materials Technology Co., Ltd , https://www.maihetube.com