Tax levy increase means new Bois D’Arc fire station, fire trucks

When voters in Bois D’Arc go to the polls on Tuesday, April 2, firefighters with the Bois D’Arc Fire Protection District are hoping that they will approve a 12-cent tax levy increase to help pay for a new fire station, fire trucks and equipment.
In an interview which was broadcast online earlier this month, Bois D’Arc Fire Chief Jamie Kilburn said a huge increase in calls has made the levy necessary.
“We’ve seen about a 363-percent increase in the last 18 years,” he said. “In the last four years, (we saw) a 23-25 percent increase, so it is starting to tax our resources.”
In addition to the increase in calls, aging equipment needs to be replaced. Their trucks average an age of about 33 years.
“We are spending approximately 51-pecent of our money, our tax money, on vehicle repairs and insurance alone,” Kilburn said.
Raymond Snider, vice-president of the district’s fire board, said they have tried to get by with what they already have, but they can’t put off requesting the increase any longer.