The Kearney Fire and Rescue Protection District has two questions in the August election for district voters to consider. If approved the initiatives will fund much needed equipment, additional staff and a second location.

Residents of the Kearney Fire District will be voting on Question 1 and Question 2 in the August ballot. Question 1 asks for an extension of the current bond that passed in 2010.

*Artist rendering of an additional fire station near 144th st. and plattsburg rd.*

“When the current bond was approved by the voters in 2010, we had responded to nearly 1200 calls in 2009,” reports Kearney Fire Chief Pratt. “In 2023 we responded to nearly 2300 calls with more than 1300 of those calls being emergency medical calls.”

Funding from the no tax increase bond extension will provide funds for capital expenditures which include building a second station on the west side of I-35, immediate purchase of a new pumper for the new station, immediate replacement of a 2001 pumper, purchase a third ambulance in 2027, and replace the 2013 aerial in 2028.

Question 2 asks for a half-cent sales tax increase. Funding from the sales tax will be used for funding new staff positions at the second station, funding the increased operating costs of the second station including utilities, personal protective gear, and building maintenance, funding other equipment replacement projects including heart monitors, radios, self-contained breathing apparatus, and vehicle extraction tools, and reduce the need for future property tax increases.

“Currently the property-owning residents of the district carry the entire financial load of the district through real estate and property taxes,” said Chief Pratt. “The sales tax allows funding from people who visit or travel through the district and make use of our Fire, EMS, and Rescue services.”

The district covers 82 square miles stretching from the Liberty city limits and Highway 69 (and includes Prairie Field and Private Gardens) to Arley and near Watkins Mill State Park.

“We’re trying to balance service and response times in the entire district,” stated Pratt. “A new station built on the west side would decrease the response time with expanded staff and closer proximity to people who live in that area.”

Both questions must be approved by voters for the project to move forward. Election day is Tuesday, August 6, 2024.

Brian Watts contributed to this story.