ROCHESTER — Rochester residents will vote on Aug. 11 on a referendum that would allow the village to exceed the state's tax levy limit to maintain current fire and EMS staffing levels.
The Rochester Volunteer Fire Company currently employs one full-time fire chief, one full-time paramedic, and part-time staff Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Outside of those hours, the department is otherwise served by volunteers.
Chief Mike Vos said the funding is necessary to keep up with things like increasing call volume and the costs of personnel, training, and operations. He said the fire and EMS company has been using reserves in recent years to cover ongoing losses.
"This is to cover the shortfall. The difference between where we need to be and what we're actually bringing in as income," Vos said.
If approved, the referendum would allow the village to exceed the state's tax levy limit by $140,000. Taxpayers would pay about $23 per $100,000 of assessed property value each year.
Vos indicated some residents have asked why Rochester Volunteer Fire Company doesn't fundraise more to address the funding need.
Watch: Rochester residents prepare for Aug. 11 referendum vote regarding fire and EMS staffing
"Fundraising isn't really a real, set structure for bringing in revenue," Vos said.
Rochester residents Bev Jensen and Buck Bonham said they value having a fire station nearby and the people who staff it.
"A lot of these people we know, we grew up with, went to high school with, so obviously, we'd like to keep the people we know here, taking care of our families," Bonham said.
Bonham said he supports the measure.
"I think that's a good place to put the money," Bonham said.
Jensen said she supports the increase in taxes to meet the department's needs, but she expressed frustration that one is required at all due to state tax levy limits.
"That's unfortunate that it has to go to referendum," Jensen said.
She said she liked to see a change to the state law.
"I think it's really important and necessary for that to happen," she said.
Both Jensen and Bonham said they plan to do more research before voting.
According to the Village of Rochester's website, if approved, the referendum would help stabilize operations for about five years. The village does plan to explore other cost-saving measures for a longterm solution.
A Q&A about the referendum is available on the Village of Rochester's website.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
