Following the merger of the Amboy and Harmon fire districts in 2024 after a public vote, a duo of officials think the board should be expanded to allow for representation of Harmon residents.

The Amboy Fire Protection District has been governed by a three-person appointed board since the late 1940s. After taking over the Harmon Fire Department – a coverage area of about 60 square miles – in November 2024, “the inquiry has been” to expand the board to five people, former Amboy Fire Chief Jeff Bryant told Shaw Local.

Lee County Board Chairman Bob Olsen said that although the department is well run, has a good chief and the three current board members are doing an awesome job, Harmon residents need a voice.

“It’s just all three” of the current board members are “from Amboy, and we need somebody out in that rural district as well to give them representation. That’s a huge area,” Olsen said.

As a result of the merger, the Amboy fire district is now one of the largest fire districts in Lee County. It includes the city of Amboy, the village of Harmon, Lee Center and several townships, among others, according to a map of Lee County’s fire districts.

The district provides fire, rescue and emergency medical services to a year-round population of about 8,000 people, with an estimated 5,667 of them living in the rural area of the district, according to the AFPD’s website.

“The board is now starting to look into it,” but there’s “nothing set in stone yet,” current Amboy Fire Chief Duane Dickison told Shaw Local, adding that the board wants to bring on “two people from the Harmon area. We do have a large area over there.”

Making the switch to a five-person board would ultimately be up to voters within the district, and it would be on an election ballot for them to decide. To get it on the ballot, the current board can either pass an ordinance or community members can bring a petition to the board, according to the Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts.

“I think it’s something that needs to be done,” Bryant said, adding that the fire service is “changing,” and districts are “low-staffed all over.”

Bryant, who retired as Amboy’s fire chief in October 2024 after 36 years of service in the district, said he’s currently working on legislation requiring all fire districts in Illinois to have a five-person governing board.

Some fire protection districts in the county already have a five-person board, including Sublette. Bryant said that a five-person board would improve transparency, avoid potential violations of the Open Meetings Act because board members still could do business with one member absent, and provide more representation for all of the district’s coverage areas.

“The concern is, would anybody do it?” Bryant said.

He added that he’s trying to get some input from the community as to whether there’s anyone interested in being on the board.

The board holds meetings once a month, holds tax and bond hearings, deals with personnel issues, and has “a long-term vision” that supports the growth and improvement of the district, Bryant said.

Members are appointed by the Lee County Board for a two-year term.

If the board is expanded, the two new members “need to be a visionary,” and the goal would be that each person is from a different area in the district, Bryant said.