South Jacksonville weighs fire truck lease, possible rural fee increase

South Jacksonville rural households could soon pay much more for fire protection as village leaders confront a replacement problem in the fire department’s aerial truck. The annual rural fee is now $75, but President Dick Samples said it may need to rise to $200 if the village moves ahead with a new equipment plan.

At the committee of the whole meeting, trustees discussed buying a fire truck and raising the rural fire protection fee, but took no formal action. Samples said the department’s current aerial truck failed state inspection and needs to be replaced. The Board of Trustees is expected to look next month at a possible lease for a truck, while the department has also reached out to neighboring fire departments in search of a used rig.

For residents outside the village limits, the issue is immediate and practical. The South Jacksonville Fire Department’s website says people living outside the corporate limits may subscribe to rural fire service, with proof of insurance required. Village code also authorizes contracts for fire protection service to commercial, industrial, residential and farm property outside the village. If the fee climbs to $200, that would more than double the current posted rate and directly affect rural homes and farms that depend on the village for coverage.

The truck is not just a line item. South Jacksonville’s aerial unit is critical for upper floors and hard-to-reach fire scenes, including the hotels on the south edge of town where elevated access and extra suppression capability can matter fast if a fire spreads. Without a replacement, the village could be left leaning on equipment that no longer passes inspection, even as it keeps serving rural customers and larger structures beyond the main business district.

The village’s fire code says South Jacksonville is a member of the Illinois Mutual Aid Box Alarm System, which gives the department another layer of backup during major incidents. Still, mutual aid does not replace the need for a working aerial truck of its own. The department is based at 1810 Sequoia Drive, next to the police department at 1812 Sequoia Drive, underscoring how closely the village’s emergency services operate from the same municipal site.

Trustees also discussed repairs and improvements at Godfrey Park, but the fire truck and rural fee talk carried the clearest financial and public safety weight. For rural residents around South Jacksonville, the next board meeting will decide whether the village borrows, leases or searches harder for used equipment, and how much more those outside the village limits may be asked to pay to keep the trucks rolling.