By: Gena Johnson | Farmington Press | Published November 7, 2025
FARMINGTON HILLS — More than 75% of voters in Farmington Hills supported the renewal of the safety proposal for the city’s police and fire departments Nov. 4, which will help pay for staff and equipment for the next 10 years starting in 2026. Voters cast 14,419 votes in favor of the proposal and 4,754 against.
The proposal is not a tax increase for Farmington Hills residents. Rather, it is a continuation of the current tax rate, which levies 1.4764 mills each year — roughly $1.48 for every $1,000 of taxable value of one’s property. Officials said this will allow the police and fire departments to maintain current service levels with full staffing and up-to-date equipment.
About $7.3 million will be distributed roughly equally between the two departments in the first year, said Tom Skrobola, director of finance and treasurer for Farmington Hills.
Fire officials noted that calls for service have risen.
“Over the last 10 years, the department has seen a 75% increase in run volume,” Deputy Fire Chief Jason Olszewski said previously. He noted this is due to how the city is more developed now than it was 10 years ago, with an aging population that calls for ambulance service more often.
“Ten to 20 years ago, people weren’t as inclined to call an ambulance as quickly as they are today,” he observed. “(This millage) will allow us to continue to provide ALS for transporting, medical care and fire protection services for the citizens.”
ALS, or advanced life support, allows paramedics to perform lifesaving measures such as administering medication while the patient is being transported to the hospital.
With the passage of the millage, the department will also purchase a new ambulance and new ToughPads for the firefighters. ToughPads are “rugged” laptops or tablets, according to the website of the manufacturer, Panasonic. They are used for writing reports, communicating information to the doctors and nurses while the patient is being transported, and tracking information such as smoke detector installations and property inspections.
Farmington Hills Police Chief John Piggott said the millage renewal will allow his department to maintain best practices.
“Over the past couple of millages and over the past few years, we’ve been able to expand our services in much more modern ways of doing police work,” Piggott said previously.
Those millages allowed the department to expand many of its programs, such as the school liaison officers, K-9 officers, drones, and digital forensic labs that quickly analyze data from cellphones and computers when crimes are reported.
The police have also seen an increase in calls, especially those pertaining to mental health. The chief said that mental health crisis calls are up to nearly 400 a year, and all officers are trained to deal with them.
“This renewal is important for the police department and our public safety services because it will allow us to remain at our current staffing levels,” Piggot said previously.
The department currently has 113 sworn officers and is funded for 115. According to the police chief, the department is in good shape.
However, retirements can happen at any time, so Piggot said he is always recruiting for experienced officers and training new candidates through the cadet program where high school graduates 18 and older work at the station while studying for their associate degree.
If they do well, the department then pays for them to attend the police academy, after which they’re hired as officers.
The chief noted how crime has changed over time.
“Certainly, we see a lot more crimes via the internet, online threats and school threats,” Piggott said previously. “Those types of cases require a lot of staffing and a lot of personnel hours to investigate.”
Both Olszewski and Piggott said that without the millage renewal, there was a risk of layoffs or service reductions, placing a greater burden on the city’s general fund.
“There are a lot of services that this (millage) supports that I think are beneficial to the community,” Piggott said previously.