Support public safety
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Public Measure D on the Cedar Rapids ballot. Watch the 80-second video, then make your plan to vote by Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Also on YouTube, if that's easier to share.
The fire bond appears as Public Measure D. It's on the ballot for voters who live in Cedar Rapids. Check both sides of your ballot, and fill in the oval next to Yes.
The measure needs at least 60% yes votes to pass, so a simple majority isn't enough. In 2025, a Cedar Rapids school bond got 59.3% and fell short. Every vote counts.
Public Measure D
Shall the following public measure be adopted?
Shall the City of Cedar Rapids, State of Iowa, issue its General Obligation Bonds or Capital Loan Notes in an amount not exceeding the amount of $60,000,000, in one or more series, for the purpose of paying costs of designing, constructing, reconstructing, enlarging, improving, equipping and furnishing fire stations and emergency response facilities, with related site improvements, consistent with the Cedar Rapids Fire Department Facility Plan, including but not limited to a new training facility, relocating Stations 2 and 8, remodeling Stations 4 and 9, rebuilding Stations 5 and 6, and the acquisition of real estate therefor, and acquiring new fire trucks and related emergency response equipment?
This is the fire department's first major bond request in more than 30 years. Independent studies and accreditation reviews found aging buildings, cramped space and health and safety gaps across the department. The bond fixes six of the nine stations.
Stations 5 and 6 opened in 1957. Today's engines are much larger than the bays they back into. At Station 6, crews stop traffic both ways on Mount Vernon Road to back the truck in after every call.
At Station 5, bedrooms are upstairs and the trucks are downstairs. A 2 a.m. call starts with a run down the stairs in the dark. Both stations would be rebuilt as single-story stations with drive-through bays.
Stations 2, 4, 8 and 9 went up in the 1980s as stopgaps during a period of fast growth. They were expected to last about 25 years. Now they're nearing 40.
At Station 8, crews can't fully open the engine doors without hitting the garage walls. Station 2's gym equipment sits in the truck garage.
Firefighters are 9% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than the general public, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. In the older stations, gear that's been inside burning buildings hangs in the truck bay, and crews walk straight from the bay into the dining room.
Modern designs separate contaminated, buffer and clean zones, with decontamination areas and separate gear storage. Some retired Cedar Rapids firefighters now have cancer.
Homes and businesses have spread beyond the areas that stations built decades ago were placed to cover. Moving Stations 2 and 8 farther south, within the areas they already serve, is aimed at better response times on the growing southwest side.
Cedar Rapids firefighters have no live-burn training facility. They practice in a concrete drill tower, wait for a donated house, or drive to other departments' facilities.
The city holds a strong Class 2 rating from the Insurance Services Office, which insurers may use when setting property insurance rates. The most recent review flagged training facilities as a weak spot that could lower that rating. A new training campus is meant to close that gap.
A new fire engine can take two to four years to arrive after it's ordered. The bond replaces aging trucks and emergency equipment so the department isn't left waiting when one wears out.
The bond follows the Cedar Rapids Fire Department Facility Plan and a 2024 space needs analysis. Here's what it does at each station.
Built in 1957, with structural problems remodeling can't fix. Each would be rebuilt on its current site or very nearby.
New stations within the areas they already serve, placed to match where people live and work today.
Bigger truck bays, plus fitness rooms, decontamination areas and other features that reduce cancer risk.
A new training and urban search and rescue campus, expected to cost $7 million to $10 million of the total.
Central Fire Station, Station 3 (built 2013) and Station 7 (built 1999) are newer and aren't part of the bond. The bond also covers buying land for the relocated stations and the training campus.
The City estimates $2.03 a month for every $100,000 of a property's assessed value, or at most $24.46 a year per $100,000.
Estimate based on the City's published rate. Your actual bill depends on your property's taxable value.
You can vote early in person through Monday, Nov. 2, or at your polling place on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Not registered yet? You can still register and vote on the same day.
Linn County Election ServicesJean Oxley Public Service Center, 2nd floor, 935 2nd St. SW, Cedar Rapids. Bus routes 11 and 12.
Lindale Mall4444 1st Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids
| Day | Election Services | Lindale Mall |
|---|---|---|
| Wed, Oct. 28 | 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. | Noon–5 p.m. |
| Thu, Oct. 29 | 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. | Noon–5 p.m. |
| Fri, Oct. 30 | 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m. | Noon–5 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct. 31 | 8 a.m.–5 p.m. | Noon–5 p.m. |
| Sun, Nov. 1 | Closed | Noon–5 p.m. |
| Mon, Nov. 2 | 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Last chance to vote early | Closed |
Early voting has ended. Vote at your assigned polling place on Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Hours are from Linn County Election Services and local reporting. Check the county's election page before you go. When you vote early, you'll fill out a short request form that asks for your Iowa driver's license or ID number, or your 4-digit voter PIN.
Linn County Election Services must receive it by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. A postmark doesn't count. With only days left, the safest choice is to hand-deliver it to Election Services at 935 2nd St. SW, no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Vote at your assigned polling place. To find yours and see your sample ballot, enter your address at LinnCountyElections.org/Lookup.
There's no voting at the Public Service Center on Election Day.
One of these IDs:
No ID on Election Day? Another registered voter from your precinct can vouch for you, or you can prove who you are and where you live with Election Day Registration documents.
The pre-registration deadline has passed, but you can register at your polling place on Election Day or while voting early. Bring an ID and proof of your current address. An Iowa driver's license with your current address covers both.
If your ID doesn't show your current address, also bring one of these: a residential lease, a utility bill (a cell phone bill counts), a bank statement, a paycheck, a government check or other government document, or a property tax statement.
Check whether you're registered at VoterReady.Iowa.gov.
Questions about voting? Call Linn County Election Services at 319-892-5300 or visit LinnCountyIowa.gov/vote.
The City estimates $2.03 a month per $100,000 of assessed value, with a maximum of $24.46 a year per $100,000. For the median home, the fire department puts it at about $4.07 a month. Use the calculator to estimate yours.
Two stations are nearly 70 years old, and four "temporary" stations from the 1980s are well past their planned 25-year life. Studies found they're costly to maintain, too small for today's trucks, and missing the separation that keeps cancer-causing contaminants out of living spaces. The department hasn't made a major bond request in more than 30 years.
Stations 2 and 8 would move to new sites within the areas they already serve, placed closer to where the city has grown. Stations 5 and 6 would be rebuilt on their current sites or very nearby. Stations 4 and 9 stay where they are and get refurbished.
Cedar Rapids has a Class 2 rating from the Insurance Services Office, which measures a community's fire protection. Insurers may consider it when setting property insurance rates. In the most recent review, training facilities were identified as an area that could lower the rating. The new training campus is meant to address that. Any effect on a specific policy depends on the insurer.
It's Iowa's urban search and rescue team, which responds to collapsed buildings and other large disasters. The bond would house it at the new training campus with the fire department. The state's lease payments would go to the City instead of to private landlords.
The bonds would be repaid over 20 years.
Registered voters who live in the city of Cedar Rapids. It's on the same ballot as the Nov. 3 general election, so you can vote on it early, by absentee ballot, or at the polls.
The City of Cedar Rapids has a public information page on the measure at cedar-rapids.org, including its 2024 space needs analysis.