Referendum to consolidate North Boone Fire Protection districts goes down in flames

Boone County residents overwhelmingly voted down a proposal to dissolve North Boone Fire Protection District No. 5 and consolidate it with District No. 3.

A referendum failed Tuesday, with about 80% of the voters saying they preferred to keep the two districts.

If the referendum had passed, District 5 residents would have paid more in property taxes for service while District 3 residents would have seen a decrease, said Boone County Supervisor of Assessments Jessica Muellner.

The North Boone Fire Protection District 5 is a "paper district," meaning it doesn’t have a fire station, equipment or personnel, but it is a taxing body with a board of trustees appointed by the Boone County Board.

The district collects property taxes from District 5 residents and uses the money to pay for fire and ambulance services. The Harlem-Roscoe Fire Department and North Boone District 3 provide fire coverage for District 5 residents.

However, District 5's ambulance service is provided by Capron Rescue, which some residents say is too far to provide fast enough service to the northwestern reaches of the district, especially residences near the Winnebago and Boone county line. District 3's ambulances are stationed further west in Poplar Grove and Timberlane.

Chris Green is a Rockford Register Star general assignment reporter. He can be reached at 815-987-1241, via email at cgreen@rrstar.com and Twitter @chrisfgreen .

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Referendum to consolidate North Boone Fire Protection districts goes down in flames