The township now contracts with the city for services, paying 26 percent of costs.
The cost of the current set up was reported by the city at $1,528,121 a year while the proposed new structure would be $3,339,316.
Township Trustee Martin English said in a joint meeting between township and city officials earlier this month the trustees favor a phased approach to expanding the department.
The trustees also need numbers soon so they can put together a request for a township levy request that would appear on the November ballot. The costs to both the city and township would increase with the new department structure. The township now has a 2 mill levy for fire and EMS.
Haller said a phased approach is logical because it would be unrealistic to think the city would be able to find enough candidates to hire all personnel needed in one year.
While the township is determining the size of the tax request it would need from township voters, the city will need to look at how to meet its share of increased costs as phases are implemented, said City Council President Katelyn Berbach. She said the goal would be to have the staffing plan working by the end of the next five years.
The city also must decide how it will pay its added share of the expanded department costs, said City Manager Tim Eggleston.
In a memo to council and the township trustees, he outlined options. One was an income tax increase of 0.32 percent to cover operations of a full department. The capital costs could be budgeted from the city capital improvements levy, which was renewed for 10 years earlier this month. The income tax percentage could be lowered if council agreed to move 0.1 percent of the income tax now going to capital improvements to the general fund, which would reduce the increase from 0.32 percent to 0.22 percent.
The second option was a property tax increase of 4.86 mills to cover operations. Under this option, the capital funding also would come through the capital improvements tax.
The most recent discussion also included the possible future exploration of a fire district, which would be responsible for the fire and EMS operation as well as its funding. In this case, a property tax would be required as the means of funding.
“The district can be discussed down the road,” Eggleston said. “First, it is how do we want to approach Chief Haller’s plan and how do we fund it?”
The trustees agree now is not the time to delve into fire district discussions, English said. “A district is not what we are looking for right now. Looking at it in four to five years makes the most sense,” he said.
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