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Temple Fire and Rescue officials hope a successful bond election will enable the city to construct a new Central Station and a combined Station No. 8, fire training center and emergency operation center estimated to cost nearly $12 million. The new Central Station is estimated to cost about $7.17 million and the combined center to cost $4.77 million.
Other items on the fire bond issue are two replacement fire engines costing an estimated $540,000 each and a new engine and associated equipment for Station No. 8 for $565,000.
The cost of issuing the bond is estimated at $400,000.
The bond election is on the ballot as a single proposition, meaning the entire package would fail if voters do not approve it.
Pat Smith, co-chair of Friends of Temple Fire and Rescue, said the city needs to keep up with fire technology.
“The city of Temple needs the updated Central Station to meet the needs of current technology,” she said. “The equipment we have, including the aerials truck, doesn’t fit in the station.”
She said the addition of Station No. 8 would improve response times also.
The ballot for the May 10 election will also include the at-large mayoral seat and the District 2 and 3 council seats.
Incumbent Patsy Luna will face Robert M. Martin and Mia McBride for the District 2 seat.
According to the city secretary’s office, the winner of the race has to have at least 50 percent of the vote to win without a runoff election. If a runoff is necessary, the two top vote getters would oppose each other.
At large Mayor Bill Jones III and Marty Janczak, District 3 representative, are running unopposed.
All of the council positions are for three-year terms.
The $13.99 million bond to fund fire department improvements would be paid back by residents with an approximate 1.5-cent tax increase, according to city officials.
Traci Barnard, city finance director, said if the bond issue passes, a homeowner with a $100,000 home would pay $15 a year more than the previous year if the home is valued the same.
The tax rate for the current fiscal year is 56.81 cents per $100 valuation, she said. The amount would be added to the tax rate in the next budget when it is created.
Taxes of residents who are 65 or older or disabled will not be affected as long as they applied for a tax freeze approved by Temple voters in 2005.
In November 2007, Temple voters passed a $9.75 million parks bond package, which included pools, splash pads and other parks improvements. That election added an additional penny to the tax rate, which amounts to $10 more a year for a homeowner with a $100,000 property valuation.