Resort-Bear Creek Fire Department seeks millage renewal on August ballot

EMMET COUNTY — Voters in Resort and Bear Creek townships will have a millage renewal request on the ballot this Aug. 6.

The Resort-Bear Creek Fire Department is seeking a four-year 0.5 mill renewal, which helps fund the department's operational budget. The millage would be levied from 2024-2027.

Fire Chief Al Welsheimer said the millage supports the department's operation, including training, equipment, fuel, maintenance and more.

Truck replacement and other capitol projects are not funded by the operation millage, but rather the township fund.

If approved, the millage is expected to bring in $312,500 from Bear Creek Township and $252,000 from Resort Township in its first year levied.

Medical first responders are run out of the department as well, which the millage would help fund.

No other neighboring townships support the department through millages, Welsheimer told the News-Review, though the department does contract work.

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Welsheimer said that while nobody wants to pay more in taxes, the millage helps support the staff made up of 28 fully trained on-call firefighters.

"It's one of those things you don't need until you have a disaster," he said.

The department has a 7 minute response time average, Welsheimer said, and they pride themselves on limiting damage and trying to save valuables when possible. Once everyone is out of the house and injuries are tended to, the department works to try to save things like photos, for example, while working on putting out the fire.

"We all know that a building can be replaced," he said. "What we really push is how much of your personal belongings that we can have sitting in the front yard of your house ... those memory items that you can't replace."

The millage proposal will be on the Aug. 6 ballot.

— Contact reporter Karly Graham atkgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at@KarlyGrahamJRN.