Several North Shore suburbs will have public safety referendums on the April 2 ballot

On election day April 2, residents in several northern suburbs of Milwaukee will face the questions of how to manage the growing demands and costs facing local fire and emergency medical service departments.

Over the last year, village and city officials in Cedarburg, Port Washington, Grafton and Saukville have approved referendum questions for the ballot that seek to handle the common issues of rising volume of service calls, staffing struggles and cost increases.

To address these issues, local governments in all four suburbs hope to raise taxes to hire more firefighters and paramedics.

Other fire departments across Southeast Wisconsin have faced similar predicaments, including the seven municipalities north of Milwaukee served by North Shore Fire and Rescue. Germantown voters will also see a similar a public safety referendum.

Voters across the state have been faced with questions of whether to raise property taxes to fund public safety services with increasing frequency, according to the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum.

But state statutes limit the amount of property taxes a municipality can collect each year to the percent increase in equalized value from net new construction. In order to exceed the levy limit, each municipality must ask for voters' approval through a referendum.

Here's what to know about the referendums in Port Washington, Cedarburg, Grafton and Saukville:

Calls for service in Port Washington are up 53% in the last decade, while staffing has declined by 23%

Port Washington voters' question will ask whether they approve of a $1.175 million property tax increase the next fiscal year and in each year going forward to hire more fire and EMS workers.

If passed, the tax increase would fund six additional full-time positions and keep three existing full-time positions, which are currently being funded through $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds from the city and county, according to the city's website.

The federal aid package provided emergency funding to state and local governments during the pandemic, but the department's portion of the one-time grant will soon be depleted.

If approved by residents, the $1.175 million tax levy increase would raise taxes around $91 annually or about $1.75 per week per $100,000 of assessed value on a home, according to a Dec. 20 release from the city announcing the referendum.

In December, Port Washington Fire Chief Mark Mitchell told the Journal Sentinel that the referendum would help the Port Washington Fire Department manage the increasing call volumes for emergency services and update an outdated staffing structure.

Over the past decade, the department has seen the total number of calls for fire and emergency medical service increase by 53% as total staffing has declined by 23%, Mitchell said.

The referendum question will appear on the Tuesday, April 2, 2024, ballot as follows:

"Under state law, the increase in the levy of the City of Port Washington for the tax to be imposed for the next fiscal year, 2025, is limited to 1.215%, which results in a levy of $8,203,430. Shall the City of Port Washington be allowed to exceed this limit and increase the levy for the next fiscal year, 2025, for the purpose of hiring and retaining additional fire and emergency medical services personnel for the City of Port Washington Fire Department, by a total of 14.323%, which results in a levy of $9,378,430, and on an ongoing basis, include the increase of $1,175,000 for each fiscal year going forward?"

Cedarburg's referendums would hire eight new full-time staff, but new paid-on-call model for volunteers is here to stay

Similar to Port Washington's referendum, the questions in the Town and City of Cedarburg will ask whether voters approve of a tax increase to hire more fire and EMS workers.

If passed, the city would see a total tax increase of $1.292 million the next fiscal year and in each year going forward. For the town, the total increase is by $723,256, according to the city's website.

If passed, the referendum would add eight full-time firefighter-paramedics and maintain two full-time firefighter-paramedics currently funded using ARPA dollars set to run out in 2024. These changes were recommended by Cedarburg's Joint City and Town Fire and EMS Committee, which the municipalities formed in July 2023 to recommend budget solutions that would enable the department to remain independent.

This was after the town and city approved a 10-year shared services agreement for fire and EMS.

The referendum, which was authorized Jan. 9, would also declare the fire chief position a full-time role. According to the department, this would ensure it has consistent leadership to manage the growing public safety needs in the suburb.

If the referendum is rejected by a majority of voters in either community, the fire department said it would be forced to reduce staffing to 2021 levels and the suburb at-large will be faced with addressing the growing need for public safety services.

Over the last decade, the Cedarburg Fire Department has seen a nearly 47% increase in the number of calls for service and a 17% decrease in the number of people available to respond to calls, according to the department.

As of January 1, 2024, the department has been following a paid-on-call model, compensating part-time staff for each call they respond to. These part-time staff had previously been volunteers for the department.

Even if this referendum fails, the city will continue to compensate staff, as outlined in an agreement between the town and city to fund the roles until 2033.

Staffing increases would be phased in over time, with a goal to have all eight additional firefighter-paramedics on staff by 2028.

In the City of Cedarburg, the referendum's approval would result in a property tax increase of $67.82 per $100,000 in assessed property value. The median price of a home in the City of Cedarburg is $390,000, which would translate to a $264.51 tax increase.

In the Town of Cedarburg, approval would result in a property tax increase of approximately $57 per $100,000 in assessed property value. The median price of a home in the town is $485,000, which would see a tax increase of $276.86.

The department is holding an information session about the upcoming referendum at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, at Ozaukee Pavilion, W67 N866 Washington Avenue. The meeting will also be accessible virtually.

In the City of Cedarburg, the referendum question will appear on the Tuesday, April 2, 2024, ballot as follows:

“Under state law, the increase in the levy of the City of Cedarburg for the tax to be imposed for the next fiscal year, 2025, is limited to 2.390%, which results in a levy of $11,970,886. Shall the City of Cedarburg be allowed to exceed this limit and increase the levy for the next fiscal year, 2025, for the purposes to increase funding to hire and retain additional fire and emergency medical services personnel for the Cedarburg Fire Department, by a total of 10.795%, which results in a levy of $13,263,188, and on an ongoing basis, include the increase of $1,292,302 for each fiscal year going forward?”

In the Town of Cedarburg, the question will appear as follows:

“Under state law, the increase in the levy of the Town of Cedarburg for the tax to be imposed for the next fiscal year, 2025, is limited to 1.153%, which results in a levy of $2,416,878. Shall the Town of Cedarburg be allowed to exceed this limit and increase the levy for the next fiscal year, 2025, for the purposes to increase funding to hire and retain additional fire and emergency medical services personnel for the Cedarburg Fire Department pursuant to an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Cedarburg for shared fire protection and emergency medical services, by a total of 29.929%, which results in a levy of $3,140,234, and on an ongoing basis, include the increase of $723,256 for each fiscal year going forward?”

Grafton and Saukville's referendums would add 13 EMS workers to the villages' consolidated fire departments

Voters in Grafton and Saukville will decide whether to approve a property tax increase that will allow their fire departments to add 13 new full-time fire and EMS positions.

The departments in Grafton and Saukville are functionally consolidated, Grafton Village Administrator Jesse Thyes said. They share training, equipment and policies. Grafton's fire chief provides administrative oversight to Saukville's department.

Thyes said both communities' first responders are feeling strain in two directions. Since 2015, calls for service in Grafton have increased by 86% while emergency calls in Saukville jumped by 53%.

At the same time, both the Grafton and Saukville departments, largely run by paid volunteers, have seen staffing declines, as not as many people are offering to serve on the side, Thyes said.

If the referendum passes, property taxes in the Village of Grafton would increase by $94.66 for every $100,000 of assessed value, according to a fact sheet on the village's website. Homeowners in the Town of Grafton would see an increase of $52.15, and those in the Town of Saukville would pay $65.10 more.

Thyes said the cost sharing formula was based on population, volume of service calls and equalized assessed property values.

The referendum question will appear on the Town of Grafton's ballot as follows:

"Under state law, the increase in the levy of the Town of Grafton for the tax to be imposed for the next fiscal year, 2025, is limited to 1.364%, which results in a levy of $1,559,881. Shall the Town of Grafton be allowed to exceed this limit and increase the levy for the next fiscal year, 2025, for the purpose of enhancing Emergency Medical and Fire Protection Services, including, but not limited to, the hiring and retaining of additional fire and rescue personnel, by a total of 23.876%, which results in a levy of $1,932,316, and, on an ongoing basis, include the increase of $372,435 for each fiscal year going forward?"

It will appear on ballots in the Village of Grafton as follows:

Under state law, the increase in the levy of the Village of Grafton for the tax to be imposed for the next fiscal year, 2025, is limited to 3.558%, which results in a levy of $9,233,828. Shall the Village of Grafton be allowed to exceed this limit and increase the levy for the next fiscal year, 2025, for the purpose of enhancing Emergency Medical and Fire Protection Services including, but not limited to, the hiring and retaining of additional fire and rescue personnel, by a total of 16.007%, which results in a levy of $10,711,900, and, on an ongoing basis, include the increase of $1,478,072 for each fiscal year going forward?

In the Town of Saukville, the referendum will read as follows:

Under state law, the increase in the levy of the Town of Saukville for the tax to be imposed for the next fiscal year, 2025, is limited to 0.757%, which results in a levy of $459,013. Shall the Town of Saukville be allowed to exceed this limit and increase the levy for the next fiscal year, 2025, for the purpose of enhancing Emergency Medical and Fire Protection Services, including but not limited to, the hiring and retaining of additional fire and rescue personnel, by a total of 44.681%, which results in a levy of $664,103, and, on an ongoing basis, include the increase of $205,090 for each fiscal year going forward?

Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13.