Q- Election Day is Tuesday, April 1st, who can vote in the April 1st election?
A- All registered voters in the Mt. Morris Fire Protection District are eligible to vote in this election. To register to vote you must:
You must be a United States Citizen.
You must 18 years old by the General Election.
You must be a resident of your precinct at least 30 days prior to Election Day.
You must display two pieces of identification. Neither needs to be a photo ID, but one must include your current address.
Q- What happens to the existing fire station?
A- The existing fire station will be closed and sold with the proceeds applied to offset the costs of building the new fire station.
2025 Bond Referendum Question & Answer Information
Q- I have a question not addressed here, how can I ask?
A- There are multiple ways, you can send in a question by filling out the form below. You can call and speak to Fire Chief Rob Hough at (815)734-4322 or you may attend the Fire District Board Meeting on the evening of March 17th at 7pm at the District Fire Station at 15 E. Center St., Mt. Morris, IL 61054.
Q- Is the call volume increasing?
A- The Mt. Morris Fire Protection District responds to over 1,000 emergency calls annually, that’s an average of 3 calls a day. This number doesn’t account for the countless other calls for assistance like: BP checks, lock outs, welfare checks, odor investigations, smoke and carbon monoxide detector installations. This isn’t the small town Fire & Ambulance Service of years ago. It has evolved into an all hazards mitigation service, a first line of defense for our community. We currently have over 5,000 residents in a 45 square mile district
Q- What has the fire district done to reduce expense?
A- The Fire District has reduced expenditures by remounting ambulances, purchasing high quality used apparatus and refurbishing it by our volunteers, performing maintenance to extend apparatus and other equipment replacement times. The Fire District continues to defer spending on vehicle replacement and critical capital projects. Grants, partnerships with other communities, and best practice operations have all been in place to help provide the best service for your tax dollars.
Q- What is the Mt. Morris Fire Protection District Bond Referendum?
A- The Mt. Morris Fire Protection District Bond Referendum is a proposal on the April 1, 2025 ballot to provide funding to build and equip a new fire station. Building a new fire station will ensure that we are able to provide separate turn-out gear storage space to lower our first responders' exposure to carcinogens. Building the new fire station will give us ample room for permanent training facilities to house a SCBA (air pack) confidence training course, search and rescue props as well as an area for placing ground ladders and perfecting our skills. Designing and building the new fire station will allow help us to reduce response times by reducing travel time in the building for turn out and getting to the vehicles.
Q- What brought us to this?
A- In 2021 Initial estimates came in at $2 -2.5 Million for a brand-new turnkey facility. Performing its due diligence, the District looked into funding options for the facility and started applying for grants. A $1 Million-dollar Congressional Grant was awarded, covering nearly 50% of the initially projected cost. The District felt through other grants, private and cooperate donations that the balance of the funds could be sourced without raising taxes. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was sourced as a funding source. In the fall of 2024, the District determined that USDA was no longer a viable source for funding as several of their early commitments had gone unfulfilled. Couple this with a $500K budgetary commitment from the State of Illinois, that also has gone unfunded. Burdensome years of long delays in USDA approval, changing construction world, largely driven by Covid had risen the building price to $4.5 Million, with no changes to design.
Q- How long is the bond period
A- If approved, The bond period will not surpass 20 years and the District is cautiously optimistic to retire them early, possibly at the 15 year mark.
Q- How is the fire district funded?
A- The Mt. Morris Fire Protection District is a separate organization and taxing body from the Village, Township and County and relies largely on property taxes to fund operations. Nearly 60% of the District’s budget comes from taxes, the other 40% is from ambulance service fees and grants. State law limits our sources of revenue.
Q- What about grants and other funding sources?
A- The District will continue to secure alternative revenue through local, state and federal grants as well as work with the Fire Foundation, a 501c3 foundation to secure corporate donations and sponsorships.
Q- How will this bond referendum impact my property taxes?
A- If approved by the tax payers, the $4.5 Million bond proposal, on the average market value home in Mt. Morris being 130,554.00, would see a *$187.46 annual increase in their property taxes. That is $15.62 per month or just $ .51 cents per day.
*Per $100 of assessed valuation. Based on tax year 2023 rate setting equalized assessed valuation of $72,421,091. Includes homestead exemption.