Lowell Twp Board Recap: Fire Dept. Budget Review

The Lowell Township Board met for nearly two hours on Monday night, and the lion’s share of that time – about an hour and 20 minutes – was spent on a review of the Lowell Area Fire Department budget. Interim Chief Cory Velzen was present for the meeting as were all members of the board.

Shortfall Looming in Fire Dept. Budget

To facilitate the conversation on the budget, Velzen provided board members with two spreadsheets. One provided actual and projected annual budgets from 2021 to 2029 while others projected depreciation and replacement costs for department equipment through 2044.

The requested budget for Fiscal Year 2024 is 28% higher than the amount allocated for Fiscal Year 2023:

• FY 2023 budget: $586,920
• FY 2024 budget: $751,140

When capital expenses are added in, the total budget for FY 2024 is estimated at $987,898.

Velzen highlighted some areas of change between the current budget and future expenses.

• Decrease in fire chief compensation from $127,660 in FY 2023 to $95,000 in FY 2024.
• Addition of $20,000 for health insurance for future chief in FY 2024. Velzen noted this was a new expense since former Chief Shannon Witherell obtained his health insurance elsewhere.
• Addition of $12,000 in FY 2024 to create a contingency fund for the future. This amount would double in FY 2025.
• Addition of $70,000 in FY 2025 to hire a fire inspector.

Looking at FY 2023 expenses, Velzen said the department did not expect to pay out all the amount budgeted for the fire chief salary since Witherell resigned in December. However, the cost for part-time workers was expected to increase until a new full-time chief was hired. Township Trustee Carlton Blough noted that the department used to pay $17,000-$18,000 a month for on-call firefighters, but that expense is now at about $23,000-$25,000 per month.

The department also had some unexpected maintenance expenses this year which is also stretching the department’s budget thin.

“Yeah, there’s a problem,” Velzen said. “There’s a statistical shortfall.” However, he said he needed to do more research to provide an exact number on this year’s budget deficit.

Trustee Andy Vander Ziel, who serves on the Alto-Bowne Township Fire Department, asked about staffing in the Lowell department. Velzen said they currently had a roster of 34, and he did not anticipate hiring any more staff.

It was noted that the call volume for the Lowell department is similar to that of Caledonia, at around 1200 calls per year. Caledonia has a smaller roster, but they have round-the-clock staffing which costs more. Blough said their budget is approximately $1.3 million per year.

Vander Ziel asked where cuts would be made if the budget wasn’t increased, and Velzen said it would have to come out of payroll or training. However, he didn’t want to have to reduce either. “People are absolutely invaluable,” he said.

After discussing the budget numbers, Velzen went over a depreciation schedule that looked at the cost of replacing current department trucks and equipment. It also considered the possibility of adding a ladder truck – “The city is going to create some high-rises,” Trustee Bill Thompson remarked – to replace one of the engines in the future.

At the end of the conversation, Velzen added: “Don’t take this as the absolute gospel.” He noted that he wanted to be completely transparent with the board about current and future expenses and some items, such as the addition of a fire inspector and ladder truck, were intended to be a springboard for future discussions.

“This is exactly what we’ve been asking for for years,” Trustee Mark Anderson said, “so thank you.”

Summer Bridgefest May be Coming to Lowell Township

Lowell Township may host a Bridgefest event at the North Riverfront Park this June or July. No details have been ironed out yet, but it was brought before the board on Monday night to gauge their willingness to allow alcohol in township parks for special events.

By consensus, board members were willing to explore the issue, and a member of the Parks Commission will meet with a representative of Ada Township to learn more about how their Beers at the Bridge events are run. Supervisor Jerry Hale said he had also been in contact with Impact Church about the possibility of using their parking lot.

The event is envisioned as possibly running on a Friday and Saturday and bringing together local breweries and food trucks at the park. Funds raised from the event would be used to pay for projects and maintenance at Lowell Township parks.

Other Meeting Items

Other agenda items from Monday’s meeting included the following:

• An update on 2023 activities from Planning Commission Chair Dave Simmonds
• Notification of the resignation of deputy clerk Angie Wilcox.
• Unanimous approval of a request from a resident to have her 80 acres included in the state’s Farmland and Open Space Preservation Program for 10 years.
• Unanimous approval of an animal control ordinance which largely replicates an existing ordinance passed in 1993 but provides enforcement powers for the county.
• Review of proposals to replace fire hydrants. The item was tabled since Anderson noted another company – Dean’s – may want to submit a bid.

The meeting adjourned at 8:57pm, and the next regular meeting of the Lowell Township Board will be Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 7pm in the township hall. A public hearing on the FY 2024-2025 budget will be held at that time.