Bond Election Sought to Provide Added Fire Protection

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How close is your nearest fire station? That particular question is one of the first asked by your agent when you are applying for homeowner’s insurance. Maricopa has only ONE fire station. Maricopa Fire District’s Eddie Rodriguez recently accepted a paid position as Fire Chief. “I have one salaried captain and a secretarial position, but all the rest are volunteers. There are 15 of them, ” explained Chief Rodriguez.

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Don Pearce, President of the Fire District Board, confers with Chief Eddie Rodriguez at the recent groundbreaking of Maricopa Elementary School.

Maricopa’s Fire District provides fire protection service to approximately 42 square miles. Currently about 5,000 residents and a small number of commercial properties are served. Demographic projections indicate that within seven or eight years Maricopa will be home to 50,000 residents in an estimated 17,500 homes with much additional commercial development. Based on the fire master plan, at least five new stations need to be constructed over the next few years. Each will require fire apparatus and paid staff will need to be hired as community development increases. The present fire station would be converted to an administrative and training facility.

In spite of its largely volunteer staff and having only one firehouse, the District maintains a rating of 7 (one being the highest out of ten) from the Insurance Service Officer. That rating is significant when insurance companies set their rates for a community. “It is based 25% on manpower, 25% on fire apparatus and 50% on water supply,” said Chief Rodriguez. The Fire District Board’s intent is to raise that rating to a 5 through the bond revenue, which will work to meet the needs of a growing Maricopa.

On July 1 of this year, the District’s Board of Directors unanimously voted to call a bond election for November. According to Oliver Anderson, Clerk of the Board, “We could either wait a year, have a special election which would be costly, or put the bond issue on this November’s ballot.” This is the first time in the 29-year history of the Fire District that a bond election has been held. According to Mr. Anderson Pinal County will not be involved in funding the expansion of the local Fire District.

Property taxes will NOT increase with the passage of the bond. Maricopa property owners now pay $2 per $100 in secondary assessed valuation to the Fire District. Each new home is charged $400, paid by the developer, for fire protection. The sale of the bonds will generate additional needed revenue.

The bond election will be listed as a “question” near the end of the ballot on Election Day. “Shall the Board of Supervisors of Pinal County, Arizona, be authorized to issue and sell general obligation bonds of Maricopa Fire District of Pinal County, Arizona, in the aggregate principal amount not to exceed $10,000,000 to provide funds to construct, equip and furnish new fire stations, to acquire fire fighting, rescue and other life preserving equipment and related apparatus . . .?” Your response must be either for the bonds and better fire protection for all of Maricopa or against them.

If you have questions concerning the bond election, members of the Fire District Board will answer them at a public meeting on Wednesday, October 27, at 7 p.m. in the multi-purpose room at Santa Rosa Elementary School.