Voters to decide fate of fire tax

When they head to the polls Aug. 2, voters will be asked to approve an eight-year, 0.75-mill property tax to support the Addison Township Fire Department’s capital improvement fund.

This fund contains money set aside for everything from purchasing new vehicles and equipment to constructing new stations, if necessary.

According to Fire Chief Jerry Morawski, the department is depending on the renewal for several necessary purchases to ensure a high level of safety for Addison residents.

“We’re looking at purchasing a new fire engine in the next two years,” he said. “We have one that needs to be replaced that’s 19 years old. It’ll be 22 when we replace it. So, that’s one of our long-term purchases and (we need to keep) up with the rotation of ambulances. We replace ambulances every seven years.”

If approved by voters, the 0.75-mill levy would begin in 2017 and end with the December 2024 tax collection. The proposed millage is expected to generate $246,574 in revenue in the first year.

The department’s current capital millage is set to expire December 2016.

The ballot proposal represents both a renewal and a slight increase. Over the years, the capital millage was reduced by the Headlee Amendment to its current rate of 0.732 mill. According to Morawski, officials are asking residents to raise it back to the original rate of 0.75 mill, which voters approved in August 2008.

One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value. This means that a home with a taxable value of $100,000 could expect to pay $75 per year under this millage proposal.

This is the department’s only capital millage. Its other three millages, which total 2.2373 mills, are all for operating purposes.

 

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