SUN LAKES— A fire department that serves unincorporated areas around Chandler has issued a call for arguments in favor of, and in opposition to, a bond that will be on the Nov. 4 ballot this year.

The South County Fire & Medical District will be preparing an informational pamphlet that will be mailed to households containing one or more registered electors within the district.

Anyone wishing to submit an argument “for” or “against” the bond question — not to exceed 200 words — may do so electronically to info@afma.az.gov or by mail or hand delivery of the argument to the District at Fire Station 232 at 25020 S. Alma School Road, Sun Lakes, AZ 85248. Business hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 623-544-5400 for more information.

To be included in the informational pamphlet, such argument must be received in the office before 5 p.m., Friday, July 18. The argument must be signed and should include the name of the district, the author’s name, address and telephone number.

In April, the board of directors for the district voted unanimously to call for a special election to seek voter approval to issue bonds. If approved as part of Maricopa County Proposition 408, bonds will be used to pay for emergency response vehicles, emergency equipment and 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, the release states.

“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 costs 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.   E