Voters will have 2 millage issues on Aug. 5 ballot

Laketown Township residents will have two millage issues in the Aug. 5, 2025, election. The passage of both will not result in an overall tax increase.

The township board on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, unanimously approved the two requests that move half a mill from the current Fire, Roads, Bike Paths and Drains to the Graafschap Fire Department millage.

“The realigning of the current funding sources presented to the voters in August will provide the funding needed for current and future equipment and staffing needs,” said Chief Doug DenBleyker. “We appreciate the support that we have received from residents for the last several decades and look forward to continuing to exceed their expectations.”

The millages

The current millage for the fire department is 1 mill. The Aug. 5 proposal raises the millage to 1.5 mills for the fire department only. The millage request is for 5 years.

The current millage for the Fire, Roads, Bike Paths and Drains is 2.0 mills. The Aug. 5 proposal removes the fire department from the ballot wording and decreases the millage to 1.5 mill for Roads, Non-Motorized Paths, and Drains. The millage request is for 3 years.

The total millage for the two remains the same at 3.0 mills.

A mill is $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value.

The extra half-mill dedicated to the fire department will bring in about $937,750 in 2025, approximately $312,000 in additional revenue compared to the 1 mill, to fund additional Graafschap Fire Department staff and equipment.

A failed fire millage means there will not be funding for the fire department, the chief said.

The existing 2.0 mills for Fire, Roads, Bike Paths and Drains will be on the ballot at a reduced rate of 1.5 mills for the new Roads, Non-Motorized Paths, and Drains, bringing in $984,700 in 2026 for a reduction of $388,900.

Rising costs

The department has been looking for several years at adding three full-time firefighters to improve response times, handle the increasing number of calls, and cover the decreasing availability of paid-on-call firefighters. Staffing numbers have gone from a high of 24 in 2018 to a low of 18 today. The time and training requirements for firefighters today has had a negative effect on recruiting.

Calls have risen from 375 in 2012 to a high of 894 in 2022. In 2024, there were 876 calls.

The costs of operating the fire department have also risen. An example is the cost of fire apparatus, DenBleyker said. A fire engine purchased 10 years ago would have been around $400,000. Today that same fire engine would be $800,000 to $1 million.

Graafschap Fire Department responds to fire, medical and other emergency situations in all of Laketown Township and part of Fillmore Township, and assists other agencies as needed.