When Oxford township and village voters trek to the polls in November, they will be asked to renew the two millages that fund their fire department.
Township officials last week voted unanimously to place a 1.5 mill renewal request for fire/EMS operations and a 1-mill renewal request to fund Advanced Life Support (ALS) on the Tuesday, Nov. 3 ballot.
A mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value.
Both tax proposals represent straight renewals ? not increases ? of the current millage rates, which voters approved in May 2005.
This year the department’s operating under a combined budget of $2.63 million ? $1.31 million for ALS and $1.32 million for fire/EMS.
Both millages are set to expire with the December 2009 township tax levy, meaning monies collected this winter will be enough to fund the fire department for the 2010 fiscal year, but not beyond that.
Fire Chief Pete Scholz explained that both millages are crucial to operating the department as it is right now with the same level of service to residents.
For instance, should the ALS millage renewal fail and fire/EMS millage pass, the department could only afford to have paid-on-call staff and a full-time chief, according to Scholz.
He explained that funding for the department’s 12 full-time firefighters/paramedics, who keep both fire stations staffed 24-7, comes out of the ALS budget.
‘When the ALS money goes, the full-time staff goes,? Scholz said.
Trustee Mike Spisz expressed his desire to look over the numbers and see if the millage rates could be lowered.
But Treasurer Joe Ferrari explained to him, and the other new board members, that just because the voters approve a certain millage rate, doesn’t mean the township’s obligated to levy the full amount.
The township usually discusses and sets its millage rates for the following fiscal year every September. At that time, officials decide how much to levy, which can be less than the voter-approved rate, but never more.
For those wondering how important it is for the fire department to provide its own ALS services, Scholz relayed the following story to the township board.
A little over a month ago, an Oxford man suffered a full cardiac arrest. When paramedics arrived on the scene, he had no pulse and was not breathing.
Oxford paramedics used the defibrillator on him, administered CPR, gave the patient cardiac drugs and intubated him.
Scholz said by the time the paramedics got the patient to POH Regional Medical Center in Pontiac, he had a pulse.
The chief was pleased to report that on July 15 the man ‘walked out of the hospital? in good condition.
Had this patient had to wait up to 45 minutes for a private ambulance provider, he ‘wouldn’t have made it,? according to Scholz.