Port Washington to hold April referendum to fund six more firefighter/EMS positions

Port Washington voters will see a question on the April 2 ballot about whether to approve a $1.175 million property tax increase to expand fire/EMS capacity and manage the rising volume of service calls, according to a Dec. 20 release from the city.

The Port Washington Common Council voted Tuesday night to place the referendum question before voters, asking whether they support an increase in the city's annual property tax levy starting in 2025 to cover the cost of new and existing fire and emergency medical services positions.

If passed, the tax increase would fund six additional full-time fire/EMS positions and retain three full-time positions, which are currently being funded through $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act grants from the city and county.

A yes vote would raise the tax levy $1.175 million for 2025 and in each year going forward.

The federal pandemic aid package provided $350 billion in emergency funding to state and local governments. But the department's portion of the one-time aid package will soon be depleted, according to the release.

What the referendum would mean for Port Washington residents' taxes

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 the release.

The referendum would help the Port Washington Fire Department manage increasing call volumes for emergency services and update an outdated staffing structure, Port Washington Fire Chief Mark Mitchell said.

In September, Port Washington aldermen rejected a proposal to consolidate neighboring fire departments, saying that maintaining independence would allow the city's department to more efficiently serve residents.

But the city, like many neighboring communities, has struggled in recent years to staff its ambulance service as the number of calls has increased substantially.

Emergency calls increase while staffing declines

Mitchell said 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%.

“The additional full-time staff members will give our department well-deserved support to keep up with the increasing calls for service and ensure our residents receive quality emergency response services," Mitchell said.

The current staffing structure of the department doesn't have enough people to adequately support emergency service operations, even with paid-on-call or paid-on-premise staff filling in the gaps, according to the release. Full-time staff must wait to respond to an emergency for paid-on-call support to arrive, which increases the time it takes to arrive on the scene and provide support.

The proposed additions to the fire department would enable quicker response times, allow personnel to respond to simultaneous calls and free up more time for training and development.

What the Port Washington fire/EMS referendum question says

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?"

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