When Oxford voters go to the polls in May they will be asked to approve four tax requests to maintain and improve their fire department.
Oxford Township officials Feb. 17 approved ballot language for two millage requests and two bond issues ? totalling 2.77 mills ? for the fire department to be placed on the May 3 ballot. All four proposals will be voted on by both unincorporated and incorporated (village) township residents.
The Oxford Public Fire and EMS Commission was unable to reach an agreement Feb. 16 as to which entity ? OPFEC or the township ? would request and levy the millages and bonds.
The first request will be for a five-year, 1.5-mill to maintain fire and EMS operations as they exist now ? no more, no less. If approved, the levy would begin with the December 2005 tax levy and generate $1,100,400 in its first year.
Currently, the department levies 1.3043 mills for fire/EMS operations as a result of annual Headlee Amendment rollbacks which have reduced the total millage rate over the years.
The current operating millage is due to expire with the December 2005 tax levy.
However, if voters approve the 1.5-mill request in May, the last year of the existing operating millage would be negated and the newly-approved amount levied in December. But that 1.5-mill is also subject to Headlee, so the full amount would not be levied.
Voters will also be asked to approve a new five-year, 1-mill property tax for Advanced Life Support services. If approved, it would generate $733,600 in its first year, beginning with the December 2005 tax levy. Again, because of Headlee rollbacks, the full 1-mill would also not be levied.
Currently, Oxford’s ALS services are provided by a private company, American Medical Response.
However, Fire Chief Jack LeRoy has repeatedly voiced his concerns that AMR’s unacceptably lengthy response times ? an average of 16 to 18 minutes ? are potentially decreasing patient survival rates and his fear that the private provider could one day unexpectedly decide to stop serving Oxford because it’s no longer cost effective for the for-profit company.
‘I consider it a very real threat that we will wake up in the community some morning and we won’t have a private (ALS) transporter available,? LeRoy told officials on Feb. 2.
Approval of the ALS millage would allow the fire department to pay for the necessary personnel and additional equipment to provide this vital service itself. Each of the two fire stations would house an ALS unit with at least one paradmedic/firefighter on duty at all times to man it.
In addition to the millages, voters will also be asked to approve two bond issues ? one to purchase a new truck; the other to build living quarters at Station #1 (headquarters) in downtown Oxford.
The five-year bond will be financed by a 0.10-mill levy to generate a total of $360,000 (plus $15,000 for bonding costs) for the purchase of a new fire pumper/engine to replace an existing one that’s nearing its 20th year of service and is due for retirement.
LeRoy said this replacement truck is ‘sorely? needed as the average service life of a fire engine is 20 years.
The second five-year bond will be financed by a 0.17-mill levy to generate a total of $575,000 (plus $20,000 for bonding costs) to pay for construction of an approximately 4,000-square-foot addition to Station #1 that will include bunkroom and kitchen facilities so as to allow 24-7 staffing.
Living quarters were included in the original plans for Station #1, but higher-than-anticipated construction and land acquisition costs forced them to be cut from the project, which was paid for through a bond issue approved by voters in November 2000. The branch station at Newman and Drahner roads already has bunk and kitchen facilities.
Oxford Township has written permission from Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Wendy Potts to place these millages and bonds on the May 3 ballot.
In her Feb. 7 court order, Judge Potts stated that if OPFEC was unable to agree on fire and ALS millage proposals by Feb. 16, the township board would be allowed to request them for levy over the unincorporated and incorporated (village) portions of the township.