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View Comments For the first time in years, Springfield Fire Department is building new fire stations, catching up on maintenance and replacing worn-out gear on a more regular schedule. The spending, which includes renovation or replacement of four stations in the next few years, was made possible by the city s level property tax, which voters extended indefinitely back in 2017. Much of the revenue has been ear-marked for building and equipment up-keep, allowing the department to do less triage and other quick fixes when equipment fails, Fire Chief David Pennington said Monday in an interview with the News-Leader. Prior to the level property tax, there (wasn t) a designated funding source for life cycle sustainment for our facilities, he said. Just in the fire department, I ve got 13 facilities plus the fire training center, plus the annex and the fire academy building, to keep operable. ....