Fire station bond issue vote passesby Nathan Arneal North Bend is getting a new fire station. According to Dodge County Clerk Micki Gilfry, voters in the special mail-in election that ended Feb. 11 voted in favor of the bond issue to fund a new North Bend Volunteer Fire Department station 444-143. A total of 589 ballots were turned in, representing about 44% of the eligible voters in North Bend Rural Fire Protection District 9. Of the 587 people who filled out the ballot correctly (two voters voted both for and against the bond), 75.6% of them were in favor of the measure. “We appreciate the continued support we receive from our fire district,” rural fire board president Patrick Tawney said. “It is amazing to see.” Tawney said there was some uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the vote due to a couple of obstacles, one being the required language on the ballot. The fire district is only requesting a levy of 3.6 cents per $100 of valuation, but it was required to put 10.5 cents on the ballot because that is the highest amount a fire district can go up to without a vote. There were also some issues with the mail, Tawney said, with some people not receiving a ballot. “That was very disappointing,” he said. The land for the new station has already been bought and paid for by the fire district on the southeast corner of North Bend, the former site of Leroy’s Steakhouse. Tawney said work on moving dirt for the project will begin as soon as weather allows. The goal is to begin construction by August and move into the building by the end of the year. “These are lofty goals but we think we can do it,” Tawney said.
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