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Out of the Volunteer Era: Inside Lake Zurich’s $20.3 Million Fire Station Headquarters Referendum

This November, Lake Zurich voters will decide whether to replace a 46-year-old station originally built for a volunteer department with a new Fire Station 1 designed to better support firefighter health and safety.

Some of the Lake Zurich Fire Department’s engines and equipment are stored outdoors year-round because Fire Station 1 on Buesching Road does not have enough indoor space, according to the village. Station 1 was built in the late 1970s, occupied in 1980, and designed for a smaller, volunteer department, not the full-time Fire/EMS department the village has operated since 1984. Today the department serves about 20,000 residents in Lake Zurich and roughly 18,000 more in surrounding areas, and it responded to 5,002 calls in 2025.

Our local emergency response systems are built to keep us safe, but they cannot survive decades of physical decay. The village lists repeated flooding, roof leaks, foundation issues, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance concerns at the aging station. On November 3, Lake Zurich voters will decide whether to authorize a $20.3 million general obligation bond to build and equip a new Fire Station 1 on village-owned land at the northwest corner of Route 22 and South Old Rand Road.

The Limits of a Volunteer-Era Station

The village says the Buesching Road station has reached the end of its useful life. Because it was built for a smaller volunteer department, it has limited decontamination areas, equipment storage, and training space, and its fire prevention bureau operates from a separate location. Its living quarters include open bunk rooms with limited privacy and no dedicated female locker room or restrooms. The village also lists ADA concerns, including no elevator access to the training room and limited public accessibility.

Our local emergency response systems are built to keep us safe, but they cannot survive decades of physical decay.

The station also lacks standard “red/yellow/green” zones to separate contaminated gear from the areas where firefighters live and work. The village notes that smoke from structure fires contains chemicals and carcinogens that are harmful to firefighters. A National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study conducted with the National Cancer Institute, cited by the village, found that firefighters have about 9% higher cancer diagnosis rates and 14% higher cancer-related death rates than the general population. The village ties those findings to the hot-zone design planned for the new station.

Before reviewing the construction plan, let’s simplify the technical terms on your ballot. Because Lake Zurich is a “non-home-rule” municipality, it needs voter approval to issue general obligation bonds to finance construction. A bond referendum is a direct vote that allows local taxpayers to decide whether the village should borrow money for a project, with the debt repaid over time through property taxes. The village is proposing a 20-year repayment period.

The $20.3 Million New Fire Station Plan

If voters approve the question, the $20.3 million bond would fund the construction and equipping of a new Fire Station 1 to replace the existing station. According to the village, the proposed station would include:

  • A New 27,000-Square-Foot Station: The village proposes a single-story station of about 27,000 square feet, sized to serve up to 12 firefighters, on about four acres of village-owned land at the northwest corner of Route 22 and South Old Rand Road.
  • Hot-Zone Layout and Decontamination Areas: Separate clean, transition, and contaminated zones are designed to limit cross-contamination between the apparatus bays and living and working spaces, consistent with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidelines, along with dedicated decontamination showers, laundry, and equipment-cleaning stations.
  • Private Quarters and Indoor Storage: Individual bunk rooms, restrooms, and showers, full ADA accessibility, and reconfigured apparatus bays that allow vehicles to be stored indoors.
  • Training and Emergency Management Space: A flexible community training room for classes such as CPR, AED, and Stop the Bleed, and a dedicated emergency management area to coordinate large-scale incidents.

The village also points to response times. A 2024 fire station siting study found that about 3 in 10 department incidents currently fall outside the industry-standard 4-minute response window, and it identified the proposed site as the location expected to reduce that figure by nearly half. In 2025, about 70% of the department’s calls were for medical or rescue services. The new station is designed to serve the community for the next 40 to 50 years, and the village is targeting occupancy for late 2028 or early 2029.

The Financial Math of the Referendum

If voters approve the $20.3 million bond, it would be repaid over 20 years through property taxes, and the ballot question sets a not-to-exceed interest rate of 7.0%. The Daily Herald reported village estimates of about $184 more per year in property taxes for a home valued at $400,000, about $205 for a $450,000 home, and about $229 for a $500,000 home. The village’s FAQ page lists about $189 a year, or about $16 a month, for a $450,000 home, and earlier village materials cited $195, so the estimates have varied between materials. The village’s tax calculator can show an estimate for your own home.

Not everyone has been convinced in the past: a 2020 referendum for a new station did not pass. This time, responding to a social media post suggesting the existing building could be updated by reducing overtime costs, the village said renovating would not resolve the station’s space, safety, and site limitations, and that stormwater and grading problems cannot be fully corrected on the existing site. Village officials also say the general fund, made up of property and sales taxes, is the main source for operating costs and that Lake Zurich cannot “save up” $20 million to pay for a building up front.

A Simple Action Plan for Lake Zurich Voters

You can play a direct role in deciding the future of your local emergency services by taking these three simple steps:

  • Watch the Station 1 Video Tour: The village’s referendum page includes an inside look at the existing station, along with fire study highlights and a “Just the Facts” page, so you can see the conditions for yourself.
  • Use the Tax Calculator: Visit the Village of Lake Zurich’s referendum page to estimate the annual and monthly cost of the bond for your home’s value.
  • Vote by Tuesday, November 3: In Lake County, early voting runs through Monday, November 2, and polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day at any Lake County voting site. The deadline to request a mail ballot was October 29, so if you already have one, return it to a county drop box or ask for a manual postmark at a USPS counter, since the Lake County Clerk notes that the postmark date determines eligibility.

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