By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• Voters in the Sublette Fire Protection District in Illinois will decide March 17 on whether to approve a 131.95% tax rate increase to fund a staffed ambulance service.
• If approved, the district’s property tax revenue for emergency services would more than double under the proposed rate change.
• Homeowners in the district would see substantial increases in their annual fire-district tax bills under the proposal.
• Fire officials said the measure is aimed at addressing increased call volume and difficulty staffing ambulances at current funding levels.
SUBLETTE, IL — Voters in the Sublette Fire Protection District will cast ballots March 17 on a proposal that would raise the district’s tax rate by 131.95% to fund and sustain a staffed ambulance service.
Sublette Fire Department/Facebook
Under the referendum, the district’s annual property tax revenue for fire and emergency medical services would increase from about $219,000 to an estimated $412,396, officials said. The current tax rate of .1898 per $100 of equalized assessed valuation would rise to .51 per $100 of equalized assessed valuation if the measure is approved.
Local fire board leaders said the additional funds are needed to address a sharp increase in call volume, particularly for ambulance responses, and to ensure consistent staffing levels for emergency medical services. They noted that in 2025 the department answered 265 calls, with 170 involving ambulance service.
Homeowners in the district would see notable changes in their annual tax bills if the increase is approved; for example, a home valued at roughly $140,630 would see its fire-district tax rise from about $68 to $183 per year, and larger homes would see proportionally larger increases.
State law requires two emergency medical technicians on each ambulance call unless a waiver is granted; the department has operated under such waivers but said it was unable to staff two EMTs for some calls in 2025. District officials emphasized that the tax increase is aimed at improving staffing capacity rather than reducing other services.