The turnout was larger.

The support was greater.

Voters in the City of Kingfisher overwhelmingly approved a proposition last Tuesday that will allow for the construction of a new fire department.

The measure to extend a one-half cent sales tax for another 10 years was approved by a vote of 35382 (81.2 percent).

That’s a 10 percent jump in the approval rating of the original FIRE (Fire, Infrastructure, Recreation, Emergency services) tax that was approved in May 2021.

In that election, only 225 voters turned out with 159 (70.6 percent) voting in favor.

This year’s turnout was 193 percent more than the previous vote.

“The Kingfisher fire-fighters and I are thrilled by the support from our community in passing the extension of the sales tax to fund our new station, said Kingfisher Fire Chief Ryan Gibson.

“We want to extend our heartfelt thanks. We look forward to completing this project and creating a facility that our citizens can truly take pride in.”

Talks of a new fire department have been ongoing for several years. The current structure that sits at Main and Bowman has been in service for 50 years.

The department - in personnel and equipment - has far exceeded its capacity.

That prompted the original FIRE sales tax proposition in May 2021.

It was projected to bring in just over $8 million over a 10-year period. At the time, the fire department was projected to cost about $5 million and additional funds raised from the sales tax were to be used for other city improvements.

However, construction costs began to skyrocket in the post-COVID world and according to the facility’s architect Ray Holliday of BRW Architects, Inc., “they haven’t come back down.”

It’s now projected the 16,500 square foot facility will cost about $12.2 million – a number that includes the building, architect’s fees and interest – which caused city leaders to seek input on resolutions to close the funding gap.

Commissioners, City Manager Jim Thomas and fire department members hosted the community discussion in October and floated the idea of extending the sales tax for an additional 10 years once the current tax expires.

That meeting was also attended by Holliday, who went over the details of the proposed new facility and explained several different options that were considered.

Thomas said he felt those in attendance understood that the new facility was not extravagant and that it would meet the needs of the city for the next 50 years.

Currently the tax on purchases in Kingfisher is 9.25 cents.

The city gets 3.5 cents of that, of which 2 cents goes into the city’s accounts, 1 cent toward the hospital and then the half-cent for the fire, infrastructure, recreation, emergency services.

The current tax runs through 2031, meaning the extension pushes the halfcent sales tax to 2041.

The new fire department will be built at 1501 S. Main St. The city purchased the land using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

Thomas said the goal is to go out to bid May 1 with work potentially beginning in August and the projected completion date of Nov. 1, 2026.

Like Gibson, Thomas said he was grateful for the election result.

“On behalf of the administration, the mayor and commissioners, we were appreciative of the community support in passing this sales tax extension,” Thomas said. “These public dollars will allow the city to build a fire station that will last 50-plus years and will be a pillar of strength as the gateway to our downtown.

“The voters of Kingfisher expressed tremendous support for the vision laid out in many public conversations.”

As was the intent with the original sales tax, any tax collected beyond the cost of the fire department will go toward other city improvements.

“The results of this election further emphasized my vision of ‘It’s a New Day in Kingfisher,’” Thomas said.

“The additional sales tax will not only support the fire station, but will allow us to address water, sewer, stormwater and other infrastructure needs that have gone by the wayside of deferred public project maintenance and repair.”