Photo by Barb Pert Templeton for Blue Water Healthy Living The Algonac Fire Department hopes to see the establishment of a special assessment district to fund the department next year and into the future.
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Special Assessment in works for Algonac Fire Department

Ballot proposal planned for February 27, 2024

By Barb Pert Templeton

Next year residents of the city of Algonac will be asked to help shape the future of the city’s fire department via a ballot proposal that will provide dedicated funding for medical first responders and fire protection services.

Algonac City Manager Denice Gerstenberg did a brief presentation on the topic for city officials at a regular council meeting on Sept. 5. 

She began by outlining the current services offered in the city noting that right now, when a call is made to 911 the Algonac Fire Department responds within three to five minutes. Response time is critical for the following reasons:

  1. The faster the response the better for the caller.
  2. A faster response from the fire department means less damage to your personal property. 
  3. The faster response to a medical call the better chance there is for survival.

Calls for medical services in Algonac have increased by 118% since 2010 and it’s difficult for the staff to continue to maintain current service levels. As a result, some St. Clair County communities have decided that they will only respond to medical calls if the local ambulance cannot respond within eight minutes. Algonac would like to continue to respond within three to five minutes.

Photo courtesy of cityofalgonac.org
A presentation by Algonac City Manager included this document outlining why volunteer fire fighters are no longer the answer.

Trying to maintain services can be a challenge. City revenues grow at two percent or less annually because city property tax revenues are largely capped by the annual rate of inflation under Michigan’s Headlee Amendment. As a result, Algonac still collects fewer tax dollars today than collected in 2007.

Gerstenberg then explained that a 1 mill special assessment would cost the average residential home with $62,000 taxable value $62 dollars a year or $5.16 a month or .17 cents a day

A special assessment is a charge levied on a property within a specific area. It is not a millage; a millage is a tax.

Councilman Michael Bembas said the question he had was if the city council decides not to collect the special assessment in the future, but then discovers they need to reinstate it, does the city have to hold another election or can they just reinstate it?

Gerstenberg said the council would hold a public hearing each year to talk about that particular issue and the council would set the rate. A public hearing would be part of the city’s annual budget talks.

Photo courtesy of cityofalgonac.org
Algonac City Manager Denice Gerstenberg. 

She added that for the moment the city attorney and the state have to approve the ballot language and it could change a bit before it’s finalized and brought back before the council for formal approval.

Mayor Pro Tem Ray Martin said he wanted to clarify the number of miles that the city would collect from year to year. Gerstenberg said every year the city would have the ability to change that number from one to five; at this time the ballot is proposing collecting one mil and the city could roll that back to zero the second year or move it anywhere between one and five.

“Of course, just for the public out there, the money can only be used for the fire department and the things the fire department does,” Bembas said.

“That is correct,” Gerstenberg said.

Gerstenberg read these frequently asked questions and answers into the record at the Sept. 5 meeting:

Question: How will I pay for the special assessment if it’s imposed?

Answer: If passed, the special assessment will be added to the summer tax bill.

Q. What are the boundaries for the special assessment district?

A. All of Algonac. 

Q. Is the city allowed to enact a special assessment district for fire service?

A. Yes, per Public Act 33 of 1951.

Q. Don’t I pay enough taxes? 

A. The overall millage rate for Algonac will remain the lowest in all of St. Clair County.

Q. How many years will the proposed special assessment district be in place?

A. Until terminated by the city council. 

Q. What happens if the ballot proposal doesn’t pass?A. Services will not continue as is and services will be slower.

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