March 16, 2019
By Fire Chief, Bill Large
Lotawana Fire Protection District
There will be a $4,800,000 general obligation bond on the Lake Lotawana Fire Protection ballot this April 2nd.
Our board will have a public meeting at the Lotawana Fire Protection District Headquarter Station located at 101 Lotawana Drive, Lake Lotawana, Missouri on March 18th at 7:00 p.m. to answer any questions.
There is a constant need for new or updated fire-fighting equipment. Properly equipped and up to date fire trucks and other necessary tools can be expensive, but equipment repair is nothing new, and we’ve prepared for it over the years.
However, we currently have so many needs at the same time, that we need a better approach than temporary fixes or trying to make do with out of date life-saving equipment.
Our current needs are as follows:
Up to date, fully equipped fire trucks, estimated at $500,000
Up to date, fully equipped ambulance estimated at $250,000
Up to date SCBA packs and compressor station (oxygen equipment) estimated at $170,000
New turn out gear for our fire fighters that isn’t worn and burned through
Parking lot repairs to give our facility a proper driveway
With more than $1,200,000 in immediate needs, and for on-going replacement and updating to our system, we decided on a long-term approach to our problem.
Our board has placed a $4,800,000 general obligation bond on the ballot. We intend to issue approximately $1,200,000 for our immediate needs listed above. Over the next 20 years, we will issue additional bonds every 5-6 years as we are able to afford without a levy increase.
We will only issue bonds that can be paid for by our current levy of $0.15.
There will be no levy increase, so it is likely that homeowners will notice no change. In August of 2009, our Fire District set a levy of $0.15. We’ve managed our finances well, allowing us to maintain the same levy. This levy has sustained us for 10 years, and it’s our intention to stay at this level, while still keeping you and our fire fighters safe, for 20 years to come.
