Frequently Asked Questions

• The Bond Referendum, if approved by voters, will issue $3.5 million in bonds to be paid back over a 14-year period. The money generated from this will be used for current debt restructuring, equipment upgrades, vehicle replacements, and station repairs.
• The Rescue Tax Levy would be a permanent tax added to cover the increasing costs of personnel. This will allow us to maintain current staffing levels and eventually increase staffing to cover rising call volumes.

• Yes, they are separate questions and can pass or fail individually.

• Governments issue bonds to fund spending such as infrastructure, public services, or existing debt. U.S. federal government bonds include Treasury bills, notes, and bonds. They are generally considered relatively low-risk, though their market value can fall when interest rates rise, and inflation can reduce the purchasing power of their returns. Bonds issued by less financially stable governments may also carry meaningful default risk. 

• This is a tax that is collected to pay for services such as Fire & EMS services.

• This is dependent on the EAV (Equalized Assessed Value) of your residence.  Please see the Taxpayer Impact graphic for more information.

No, the assessed value is not the same as market value in either both Kane & Cook counties.

• Kane County: Most non-farm property is assessed at 33.33% of fair market value.
      Example: $300,000 market value → approximately $100,000 assessed value. 
• Cook County: Residential property is      generally assessed at 10% of fair market value.
      Example: $300,000 market value → approximately $30,000 assessed value. 

Your tax bill is ultimately calculated using the equalized assessed value (EAV), after applying any state equalization factor and subtracting eligible exemptions—not directly from market value. Cook County’s equalization factor is especially important because of its 10% residential assessment level.

• The East Dundee Fire Protection District relies on both full-time and part-time firefighters. Full-time personnel work 24-hour shifts, followed by 48 hours off.
• Part-time personnel fill gaps in the schedule and provide coverage when full-time personnel are off duty. However, interest in part-time positions has declined over the past 10 years. To maintain reliable staffing and emergency coverage, the district has needed to hire more full-time personnel.

• Call volume continues to increase and over the past 20 years, our volume has increased 66.8%.

NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) does not require every vehicle to be replaced automatically at a specific age. Its age guidelines are recommendations used alongside condition, maintenance history, reliability and safety.

• Fire engines: NFPA guidance generally recommends evaluating an engine for replacement or reserve status after approximately 15 years of frontline service.  Apparatus more than 25 years old should generally be replaced.
  • We have a fire engine that is 21 years old and, due to its advanced age, needs to be replaced.

• Ambulances: NFPA does not establish a separate fixed replacement cycle, such as “replace every five years".  Ambulances should be evaluated based on age, mileage, engine hours, maintenance costs, reliability, structural condition and compliance with current safety standards.
  • We have a 10 year old ambulance that is overdue for replacement.

• Your fire district will be forced to make hard decisions about replacements and will have to fall behind on regular maintenance schedules, further complicating current problems.

• If approved, revenues and expenditures associated with the proposals will be reported through the District's normal public budgeting, auditing, Board meeting, and financial-reporting processes. Additional project updates will also be posted on this webpage.