Voters in Chelsea and Lima, Lyndon, and Sylvan Township are being asked for a hike in the Area Fire Authority Millage rate to hire additional staff.
The Authority’s current funding is 2.4 mills, which is actually assessed at a slightly low rate due to the Headlee Amendment. The ballot question would add an additional 0.75 mills to the tax levy.
Fire Chief Robert Arbini says the dollars would be used to hire six additional personnel with the goal they be trained firefighter-paramedics.
“It’s not just about EMS. It’s about our staffing and being able to do multiple calls and the calls that need more hands on deck, so to speak, like a house fire, a garage fire, a multi-vehicle accident.”
Arbini says in the first half of 2025, there were 29 occurrences when calls overlapped. He says the millage will allow the department to safely respond to multiple incidents.
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