Farmington Hills voters to decide safety proposal

FARMINGTON HILLS — A public safety millage renewal on the ballot Nov. 4 seeks to provide funding for the Police and Fire departments in Farmington Hills, helping to pay for staff and equipment for the next 10 years.

Officials say this is not a tax increase for Farmington Hills residents. Rather, this represents 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.

If approved, the new 10-year period would start in July 2026.

Proponents say this would allow the Police and Fire departments to maintain their services with full staffing and up-to-date equipment. If the proposal is passed, about $7.3 million would be distributed roughly equally between the two departments during 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,” said Deputy Fire Chief Jason Olszewski, who has been with the department more than 25 years.

Olszewski said 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,” Olszewski said.

With the passage of the millage, the services offered by the Fire Department could continue.

“It will allow us to continue to provide ALS (advanced life support) for transporting, medical care and fire protection services for the citizens,” he said.

ALS allows paramedics to perform lifesaving measures such as administering medication while the patient is being transported to the hospital, Olszewski said.

If the millage passes, the department will purchase a new ambulance and new ToughPads for the firefighters.

ToughPads are “rugged” laptops or tablets, according to the website of the manufacturer, Panasonic. ToughPads 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, said Olszewski.

Farmington Hills Police Chief John Piggott said the millage renewal would allow his department to maintain best practices.

“Over the past couple millages and over the past few years, we’ve been able to expand our services in much more modern ways of doing police work,” said the police chief.

The millages allowed the Police Department to expand many of its programs, including 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 Department has 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.

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. “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 may be layoffs or a reduction in services or programs, 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.

 

Charter Amendment Public Safety Millage ballot language

Shall Section 7.02c of the Farmington Hills City Charter be amended to allow a renewal of the previous voter-approved additional special tax rate for purposes of the public safety functions of the Fire and Police Departments by authorizing the City to levy a millage in the amount of 1.4764 mills (being $1.48 per $1,000 of taxable value) for ten years, starting with the July 2026 levy (resulting in the authorization to collect an estimated $7,269,000 in the first year if approved and levied), which taxes are to be used only for purposes of fire and police staffing and equipment?