Superstition Fire Medical District on Monday asked Apache Junction leaders to support Proposition 4 94, a $33,800,000 bond measure the district says is needed to replace aging apparatus, renovate stations and build training facilities.

John Whitney, fire chief for Superstition Fire Medical District, told the council the district has seen a long-term decline in its net assessed valuation since a 2015 ballot measure the chief identified as “Prop 1 17,” and further headwinds from a 2022 law he identified as “Senate Bill 10 93.” Whitney said the district now faces rising operational costs while tax revenue is tied to limited property value rather than full cash value.

The district presented a list of high-priority capital needs including multiple apparatus replacements, tenders used for water supply in non-hydranted areas and a new Station 266 in the Superstition Vistas area. Whitney said many frontline vehicles are 15 to 20 years old and that a new ladder truck currently is forecast to cost about $2.5 million and take three years to build. Pumpers that cost about $600,000 in 2012 now approach $1,200,000, he said. The district also seeks roughly $9.8 million for a training facility; Whitney said the preferred option would be to purchase and improve the existing Thunder Mountain Middle School training site if the school district will sell it.

Whitney said the district handled nearly 13,000 incidents last year and maintains an average emergent response time of 4 minutes, 33 seconds. “Time is tissue and time is property saved,” Whitney said, framing the bond as a way to sustain current response standards and the district’s ISO rating of 2. He added the bond proceeds would be dedicated solely to capital projects and not to operations.

On cost to taxpayers, the presentation said the measure would cost 27 cents per $100 of limited assessed property value. Using the district’s cited average limited property value of $180,000, Whitney said the typical homeowner’s share would be about $45 a year, or less than $4 a month.

Council members asked operational and election logistics questions. Whitney and staff said tenders are essential because much of the district is not on a hydrant grid, that reserve apparatus would be shifted within the fleet, and that some apparatus could be ordered quickly if the bond proceeds were available. City staff and a county elections representative explained this is an off-cycle, mail-in ballot election: last day to register is Oct. 6, ballots begin going out Oct. 8 and must be returned by mail by Oct. 27. The presenter said the district will run a community outreach campaign and that firefighters are organizing a campaign team.

The presentation was informational; no council vote or ordinance was taken. City staff said Superstition Fire’s request would be part of the district’s public outreach and that the district asked for the city’s support.

Whitney closed by stressing that the bond is focused on “tangible” capital items — stations, apparatus and a training facility — and that the district’s Citizen Advisory Committee unanimously recommended a $33.8 million authorization.

For further information, the district recommended voters check election materials this fall and review the district’s published capital list and facility tour documentation.