Voters in the member municipalities of Chelsea, Lima, Lyndon, and Sylvan townships will see a 1.8 mil Chelsea Area Fire Authority (CAFA) millage renewal request on the Nov. 6 ballot.
If approved by voters, the renewal request will pay for fire, rescue and first responder operations for CAFA for the next five years. If not approved, these fire operations will either be paid out of the township’s or city’s general fund, or through a special assessment.
The current CAFA board has determined that if the millage does not pass, the allocation model for each municipality’s fire costs will be based on taxable value – 40 percent, population – 30 percent and hours of runs – 30 percent.
So if there’s a large fire in Lima Township, for example, the cost for fire protection for that township’s residents will go up. With a millage in place, that would not happen because everyone is paying the same amount. In other words, if the millage is approved, the number of runs or man hours spent fighting a fire in any one municipality would not mean an increase in costs for fire protection for that municipality. If the millage is not approved, fire costs will vary.
On Tuesday, Sept. 18, following the monthly CAFA board meeting, tentative dates were set for member presentations by Fire Chief Jim Payeur.
Those tentative dates are:
Chelsea: Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. during the regular City Council meeting.
Lima Township: Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. during the regular township board meeting.
Lyndon Township: Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. during the regular township board meeting.
Sylvan Township: Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. during the regular township board meeting.
Residents who would like to learn more about the millage renewal proposal should pencil in the appropriate date to learn more or catch the presentation at a neighboring municipality’s board meeting.
Here’s what voters will see on the ballot: “Shall the Chelsea Area Fire Authority, County of Washtenaw, Michigan, renew the previously voted increase in tax limitation in an amount not to exceed 1.80 mills ($1.80 on each $1,000 dollars of taxable value) against all taxable real and tangible property within the limits of the Chelsea Area Fire Authority for a period of five (5) years, 2012 to 2018 inclusive, to provide funds for all purposes authorized by statute, including operating and equipping the Chelsea Area fire Authority; and shall the Chelsea Area Fire Authority levy such millage for said purpose? The estimate of the revenue the Chelsea Area Fire Authority will collect if 1.80 mills is approved and levied by the Chelsea Area Fire Authority in the 2014 calendar year is approximately $1,260,000. By law, the Chelsea Downtown Development Authority will receive a portion of the mills collected from the Chelsea Downtown Development Authority District only.”
