Dear Editor:
Just before Christmas of 2021, my mom passed away. Throughout the year before that, the Chelsea Area Fire Authority answered a number of calls to her home.
They were always the first on the scene. They handled every call with exceptional professionalism, caring, and good humor. They helped me advocate to get her to agree to go in and get checked out when needed, because she wouldn’t agree without them backing me up.
They would wait with us until the ambulance arrived when we needed one, and sometimes that was a considerable wait. Thanks to the voters in the Chelsea Area Fire Authority district on the last millage, we now have the appropriate number of personnel and the needed equipment to keep our community and our firefighters safe.
CAFA now has its own ambulance for limited transportation and is looking to expand that license, which in a time when ambulance services are experiencing significant challenges in staffing, is a huge benefit to our community.
CAFA responds to calls in the City of Chelsea, Lima, Lyndon and Sylvan Townships, and shares coverage in other areas. They respond to calls from riders on the DTE trails, and to incidents on 14 miles of I-94. They respond to calls at our many retirement communities and our schools.
This millage is not an increase, only a renewal. Please vote YES on your absentee ballots, or in person on May 2.
The Chelsea Area Fire Authority will be on the May 2nd, 2023 ballot to renew our current millage. This millage is to operate on a day to day basis. All costs associated with it go to personnel, equipment, vehicle, etc. to continue to function and serve the residents and visitors to our four communities that we cover (City of Chelsea, and Lima, Lyndon, and Sylvan Townships).
The millage is a 5-year renewal. Our current millage is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2023. The initial rate that was approved was 2.4 mills. The renewal will be based off of 2.3557 due to the Headlee Act. Please see the ballot language that will appear on the absentee ballots and the voting locations.
Again, this millage is already established. The passage of this millage renewal will allow CAFA to continue operating as is.
If any voter needs more clarification regarding the millage renewal language, please contact Chief Robert Arbini at [email protected] or call the office at 734-475-8755.
Chelsea Area Fire Authority Millage Renewal Proposal:
Shall the Chelsea Area Fire Authority, County of Washtenaw, Michigan, be authorized to levy a renewal of the previously voted increase in tax limitations, which expires in 2023, in an amount not to exceed 2.3557 mills ($2.3557 on each $1,000 of taxable value) against all taxable property within the limits of the Chelsea Area Fire Authority for a period of five (5) years, 2024 to 2028, inclusive, for the purpose of providing funds for all purposes authorized by statute and law, including operating and equipping the Chelsea Area Fire Authority? The estimate of the revenue the Chelsea Area Fire Authority will collect if the millage is approved and levied by the Chelsea Area Fire Authority in the first calendar year of levy (2024) is approximately $2,500,000. By law, the Chelsea Downtown Development Authority will receive a portion of the millage collected from the Chelsea Downtown Development Authority District only.
Susanne Vanden Bosch
Chelsea
