A few people have asked me about the Fire Truck Fund Referendum. So, I thought I would take some time to explain how we got to a referendum and share my thoughts on the referendum.
In Sheboygan Falls we are fortunate to have a number of dedicated men and women who volunteer their time and expertise as fire fighters and first responders on the City of Sheboygan Falls Fire Department. These men and women need the proper equipment to keep all of us safe.
With that in mind in 2012 the Council agreed to purchase a new ladder truck. The new ladder truck was financed over a 10-year period with the first payment in 2013, and the final payment occurring in 2022. The payment on the ladder truck averages $110,000 annually.
Last year, 2017, the Fire Department approached the Council on the need to replace engine 3, which is now 27-years old. They also made us aware that their other fire engine was 20-years old. Both fire engines are starting to show their age and have been out of service for repairs during the last year.
The City Council does not question the need for a replacement for engine 3. However, they are looking at the city’s current debt and see that we have four remaining payments on the ladder truck after this year. Additionally, Director of City Services Joel Tauschek noted in a financial file for City Administrator Shad Tenpas that a new fire truck should not be considered until 2021, when it could be worked into the 3-year capital borrowing that year.
Because of the continuing payments on the ladder truck, the Council told the Fire Department that a new truck could not be purchased in the 2018 borrowing this year without increasing taxes, which is something the Council did not want to do at this time.
I brought up the idea of a referendum asking taxpayers to vote on a 12.5 cent per thousand increase in the tax rate, ($25 annually on a $200,000 home), to purchase a replacement for the 27-year old engine 3. After asking questions, the Council was agreeable to a referendum. I asked the Council if they would be willing to increase the tax rate by 12.5 cents per thousand without a referendum and no one spoke in favor of doing so without a referendum.
The Fire Department understandably had some initial reservations regarding the referendum. Their main concern was that future Councils would take all new fire trucks to a referendum. In short, a purchase of a fire truck would be treated differently than any other city capital purchase.
The Fire Department had been asking me to start a truck fund to set money aside for future fire truck purchases for some time. We finally had room in the 2016 budget and set aside $50,000 and followed that up in the 2017 budget with another $42,000. The truck fund was not able to be funded in the current 2018 budget.
I considered the Fire Departments concern of future fire trucks repeatedly being sent to referendum. With that in mind, I changed the referendum to a fire truck fund that would be funded on an ongoing basis. The funds generated can be used to purchase a new fire truck if needed or could accumulate to help pay for a future fire truck. Everyone liked this option better than a referendum on a single truck.
On April 3rd, I will vote YES on the fire truck fund referendum. I will not tell you how to vote, but I will encourage you to give this referendum question serious thought.
The total calls for the fire department in 2017 were 576 up from 499 in 2016.