WHAT’S GOING ON?
The City of Coloma, Coloma Charter Township and Hagar Township together passed the 2010 Fire Truck Millage with your votes to support a fund to be used EXCLUSIVELY to replace the North Berrien Fire Rescue Department’s fire trucks.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
The Fire Truck Replacement Millage is a 0.5 mill tax placed on the property tax roll to provide funding for the Coloma Township, City of Coloma and Hagar Township to fund fire truck replacements.
Estimated Yearly Tax Impact:
$10.00 for a home selling for $50,000
$20.00 for a home selling for $100,000
The money collected is deposited directly
WHY DO WE NEED A MILLAGE?
The department needs to maintain a fleet of reliable and functional apparatus. The National Fire Protection Association recommends that all fire apparatus be replaced every 20 years. Thanks to your support, we now have a plan in place keep our apparatus up to date.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Insurance Service Organization (ISO) and Volunteer Fire Insurance Service (VFIS) all recommend the timely replacement of older trucks. Older fire trucks become unreliable and require significant repair and maintenance. Electrical systems, pumps and pump control computers become harder to repair and while trucks remain shiny, they may no longer be able to pass their annual pump certification tests.
WHAT’S THE PLAN?
In 2013, Chief Ruff presented a long term capital replacement plan to the Joint Fire Board. The plan, approved by the Board, proposes to replace our entire fleet over a period of 17 years. Purchases are planned ahead to cycle 5 years between each major purchase, and create a 10 year span between replacing our most expensive apparatus; our pumpers. The plan encompasses a strategy to only purchase trucks when millage funds are in hand. It is our intention to never have to borrow money to replace any of the vehicles. The future advantage of this pland is that the Department will never be in the position of having to replace multiple trucks at the same time.
