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Church Wells SSD seeks expanded fire protection; county to fund $50,000 feasibility study
Summary
The Kane County Commission heard a Church Wells Special Service District presentation on expanding structural fire protection to Pine Springs, Clark Bench and Perea and agreed to proceed with a $50,000 countywide fire/EMS feasibility study; commissioners postponed any boundary expansion until valuations and BigWaters terms are known.
The Kane County Commission on May 6 heard from Jeanette, chair of the Church Wells Special Service District (SSD), about plans to extend structural fire protection to Pine Springs, Clark Bench and Perea and the costs and governance changes that would follow. Commissioners said they will not approve boundary changes immediately and directed staff to pursue a countywide fire and emergency medical services (EMS) feasibility study.
Jeanette told the commission the SSD has an existing memorandum of understanding with "BigWater" to provide structural fire protection but that no payment arrangement currently reimburses BigWater for that service. She said the SSD plans to obtain property valuations for the proposed annexation areas, calculate any required assessment increase and determine whether two additional board members would be necessary. "We don't want them to interfere with our water service, which is our main priority," Jeanette said, explaining why the SSD is cautious about raising assessments or changing meeting frequency.
Commissioners emphasized options short of immediate expansion. Chair Celeste Myers suggested presenting BigWater with a proposed assessment package to speed negotiations rather than waiting for the county to request an amount. "Present them with a package," Myers said, arguing that having a concrete number may make it easier for BigWater to sign an agreement. County staff and commissioners discussed assessment math on property valuations; speakers in the meeting referenced an assessment rate mentioned by the SSD roughly as 0.0015 (the transcript recorded differing figures).
On countywide planning, commissioners said they will commission an RFP for a $50,000 feasibility study that will evaluate options (including SSD expansion, municipal contracting and a countywide service model) and recommended the study explicitly include EMS. County staff noted that shorter RFP timelines generally increase consultant costs and advised allowing firms to propose schedules and price alternatives. County Clerk/Auditor Shamil Lam clarified the ballot timeline if the commission opts for a voter measure: the clerks office needs finalized language 65 days before the Nov. 4 election (about Aug. 30), and the commission must complete several checklist steps to place an item on the ballot.
No formal expansion vote was taken. Commissioners said they would wait for property valuations and BigWaters response before issuing a notice of intent to expand SSD boundaries. Jeanette said the SSD would be willing to return to the commission with additional details and that a volunteer fire committee could be an alternative to immediately adding two paid board members.
What happens next: staff will prepare the RFP for the feasibility study, the SSD will obtain property valuations and the commission will revisit a notice of intent once more cost information and BigWaters response are available.
