“Politicians spend; you pay for redundant service in North Boone”

POPLAR GROVE – Following unpredicted action taken by the North Boone Fire Protection District III (NB3), Capron Rescue Squad District (CRS) has filed a civil complaint against the taxing body.
In a NB3 November meeting, their three person board voted to place a tax increase on the March Primary ballot asking for a new ambulance tax.
“CRS was established as a taxing district in 1990 and has been servicing North Boone since 1950’s as its ambulance provider. We feel that NB3 has not properly followed state statute with respect to determining if the ambulance service is inadequate,” CRS President Owen Costanza said in response to the actions by NB3.
“We have filed a complaint with the circuit court of Boone County so that tax payers of Boone County are protected.”
On the ballot NB3 is asking for “New Second Ambulance Tax.” NB3 is a volunteer fire department collecting at its maximum statutory levy of .40 percent.
Last year, NB3 collected from taxpayers $659,627, with an additional ambulance tax, NB3 is set to receive $744,272. CRS said they feel this is an unnecessary tax hike on residents who already receive quality service from their rescue squad.
“It is odd in a time of economic uncertainty that NB3 would ask taxpayers for more money for services they already receive,” CRS Trustee Neeley Erickson said.
“Citizens and taxpayers are tapped out. They can no longer afford the bloated bureaucracies that tax and spend policies have built over the years and clearly cannot afford to bloat their local government with redundant services.”
Of the four rural fire taxing districts in North Boone County, NB3 has the highest tax rate, and owns the most real property. The Trustees of NB3 by law have the responsibility for fire service and nothing else.
Documents reveal NB3 misrepresented themselves several times on their Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) ambulance application. CRS had then filed a complaint with IDPH to address the issues, and IDPH determined the complaint valid.
Due to these misrepresentations, NB3 is only able to provide rehab services for their firefighters and is not the designated 9-1-1 ambulance provider for their district.