Fire millage requests on the ballot in four townships, Centerville, Cleveland, Kasson, and Solon, were approved Tuesday night as more than 9,000 voters made their way to the polls to show overwhelming support for continued services. All townships are members of Cedar Area Fire and Rescue (CAFR), each determining the method of fiscally supporting the four-township department.
Greg Julian, CAFR board chair, said the fire millage proposals passing in all four townships reinforces the strong community support for the services provided by the local fire department.
“This was a renewal, and we’re on course with our spending, with a strong support in the vote that just reinforces that we’re doing the right thing and also that the citizens are paying attention. We’re thankful for them,” Julian said. “It’s very important for the renewal to pass because we run a tight budget, so the amount we’re asking for is the amount that’s needed without a whole lot of extra… and we budget for future expenses, and when the need comes, the money will be there.”
The Centerville Township fire and ambulance millage proposition was approved with approximately 287 votes (73%) in favor versus the 105 votes (26.79%) against it. The proposal asked voters to renew a levy up to 2.25 mills ($2.25 per $1,000 of taxable value) and levied for two years, 2024 through 2025 inclusive, to be used for equipment and operation of the fire and ambulance departments within the township, and will raise an estimated $342,987 in the first year the millage is levied.
The results from the Cleveland Township fire department millage request were also overwhelmingly in favor of its approval, with 295 votes (76.62%) in support of the millage versus the 90 votes (23.8%) opposed. With the approval of the 2.5 mills levy with a two-year term, it would generate an estimated $340,000 in the first year of collection.
The same levy, 2.5 mills, for Kasson Township’s Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services Millage Proposal, was approved with 357 votes (73.31%) versus the 130 “no” votes (26.69%). It will generate $367,000 in the first collection.
Solon Township’s fire and ambulance millage proposition passed with 365 votes (69%), another significant turnout in support of the proposal versus the 164 votes (31%) opposed. The township’s 2.5-mill levy will generate $358,000 in 2024 and another $375,000 in 2025.
CAFR is a combination department with both full and part-time staff organized through an interlocal agreement between Centerville, Cleveland, Kasson and Solon Townships. The department provides emergency and technical rescue response within the townships’ borders and to the unincorporated villages of Maple City and Cedar yearround. Julian, who has been on the CAFR board since its inception in 2016, said because of the joint ownership, they’ve been able to move from a basic life support part-time department to a 24/7 advanced life support one, noting that funding to support those services are vital to continuing its success.
“We were stretched so thin within the area (prior to 2016) and we were hiring it out from other departments from long ways away,” Julian said. “The joint ownership has been very successful ever since, we have moved upward and onward… but because of the growth and the desires of additional services and the demands from the state for proper training, proper management of the department, proper facilities, we needed to form a four township equal share partnership.”
