Sun Lakes’ fire district to hold bond election

CHANDLER — A fire department that serves unincorporated areas around Chandler is set to hold a special election this fall.

In April, the board of directors for the South County Fire & Medical District voted unanimously to call for a special election to seek voter approval to issue bonds for the purposes of investing in emergency response vehicles, purchasing emergency equipment and making other capital expenditures to improve fire and emergency coverage, according to a news release.

The $22.9 million proposal will be considered by the voters in a special election set for Nov. 4.
Serving the communities of Sun Lakes and Tonopah Valley, the South County Fire & Medical District is a member of the Arizona Fire & Medical Authority. As a partnership of the three member districts, AFMA is organized as a Joint Powers Authority  — a “shared services” model that helps reduce costs and protect the taxpayer.

“We’re able to cut down on administrative costs in a meaningful way,” Governing Board director Gary Aleshire stated in the news release. “This bond proposal will go before voters within the South County Fire & Medical District, and they can be confident that these investments are focused on strengthening their local fire and medical services.”

Bonds are used to finance large capital items like facility improvements and new equipment that are not typically covered by the regular maintenance and operations budget.

The district can sell bonds to investors to generate funding for the projects and then pays the investors back with interest over a period of time, in this case an expected repayment of 20 years.

The sale and issuance of such general obligation bonds must first be authorized by a majority of the qualified electors of the South County Fire & Medical District at a special bond election called for such purposes before the district can proceed.

The estimated average tax rate for the proposed bond authorization is $0.27 per $100 of net assessed limited property value.

Governing Board director Diane Price explained that the prices of emergency vehicles and gear has increased substantially over the past five years, and much of what AFMA is currently relying on is nearing the end of its service life.

The cost of vehicles like fire trucks and ambulances have risen significantly, the release states, with some vehicle increases as much as 44% in the past few years.

For every year that a vehicle is utilized beyond its optimal replacement cycle, the annual maintenance costs can increase as much as 15 to 20%. New vehicles can reduce maintenance costs and reduce downtime.

Equipment costs have also increased substantially with critical items such as air packs rising more than 20% over the past few years, according to the release.

AFMA Chief Mark Burdick said passing the bond will help investments in infrastructure, such as new fire stations, facility upgrades, cancer prevention improvements and shared-use spaces designed to boost efficiency.

“We’re committed to an open dialogue with the community as we move closer to the election,” Burdick stated.

Over the next few months, the Arizona Fire & Medical Authority will be providing the community with additional information regarding the bond and answering questions, it states. For more information, voters can visit afma.az.gov/prop408.

We invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this topic. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.