Jamestown voters to reconsider rejected fire millage increase
If approved, the proposed millage would raise an estimated $230,000 annually.
JAMESTOWN TWP. — The Jamestown Fire Department is again proposing a 0.3-mill increase to address staffing shortages and rising operational costs driven by inflation.
While voters approved the renewal of the fire department's primary operating millage during the August primary election, the separate request for additional operational funding was narrowly rejected by voters, receiving 49.4% approval.
Following that narrow defeat, the Jamestown Charter Township Board held a special meeting to adopt ballot language re-submitting Proposal No. 2 to the township electorate for the November ballot.
If approved, the proposed millage would raise an estimated $230,000 annually. The increase translates to $0.30 for every $1,000 of a home's taxable value, meaning a homeowner with a home with a taxable value of $100,000 would pay $30 more a year.
“The millages cover everything from payroll to repairs for the trucks, the buildings, insurance and fuel,” Jamestown Fire Chief Duane Miedema said.
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If the proposal fails, the department will have to maintain its current operations, despite costs that have skyrocketed since 2021.
Meanwhile, call volume has increased roughly 25% and is expected to keep rising, Miedema said.
“We’ve been able to keep up with having enough money until about ’21, when the costs of everything went up so fast and the building didn’t keep up anymore,” he said.
The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
— Mallory Burt is a reporter for Ottawa News Network. Contact her at newsroom@ottawanewsnetwork.org.
