KUNA, Idaho (CBS2) — The Board of Fire Commissioners for the Kuna Rural Fire District approved placing a levy for more firefighters and a bond for a fire station on the General Election ballot.
“Our community is growing, and we’re at the point where we can’t effectively serve residents with one fire station and current staffing levels,” Fire Chief T.J. Lawrence said. “We listened to what the voters said last time, and we revised our plan to fund our needs at less cost to taxpayers.”
The fire district previously asked to increase the levy, but voters turned it down due to the cost.The new funding plan is lower because it splits off the fire station and pays for it through a bond that will be paid back over time, reducing the annual cost for property owners.
The cost for both proposals is$6.79 per month ($81.45 per year) for a $346,000 home owner, which is the average for the area.
Emergency call volumes have increased 72.4 percent in the last 10 years and the population in the fire district is expected to increase by 74 percent in the next 10 years.
In 2021, the fire district had tostop transporting patients to hospitals because it took emergency personnel out of the service area for extended periods of time, increasing response times.
“The bottom line is that population growth and call volume increases are straining our resources,” Chief Lawrence said. “We went back and developed a solution to improve safety for community members at a lower out-of-pocket cost for taxpayers. I look forward to speaking with community members about this important issue.”
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