CEDARBURG, Wisc. — A new public safety referendum in Cedarburg hopes to increase funding for the fire department, in the wake of a surge in service calls amid a drop in available volunteers.
“This isn't just a Cedarburg problem, it's not a county-wide problem, it's not a state-wide problem, it's a national problem,” said Chief Jeff Vahsholtz.
It was a packed house at the Ozaukee Pavilion for the first of two informational sessions to discuss Cedarburg’s public safety referendum, which is up for a vote on April 2.
Cedarburg Fire Chief Jeff Vahsholtz says this comes at a time when both the City and Town of Cedarburg are struggling to attract and maintain the number of firefighters and paramedics needed to effectively protect the community.
“They want to volunteer, they'll volunteer the time they have available, but that time has shrunk and my goal is to supplement the volunteers with paid and full-time staff,” said Vahsholtz.
This meeting comes less than a week after a new lift-assist fee went into effect.
If a person calls asking for help in getting up after a fall but does not need medical help, they will be charged an added fee.
The first two lift assists will be free and the fee for every additional assist starts at $150.
“It's really to encourage those people when it becomes a habitual problem to look at the problem and we offer suggestions of how they can help themselves to prevent this from happening,” said Vahsholtz.
Jack Arnett has lived in Cedarburg for more than 20 years.
"Other communities spend way more on their fire departments than Cedarburg historically has because we rely on volunteers, but we're now having to pay up like anybody else,” said Arnett.
This referendum would add just over $2 million to the CFD annual operating budget, which is divided between the City and Town of Cedarburg to pay for through their property taxes.
"We're a pretty wealthy community and we expect a certain level of service and right now we don't have that level of service. The hope is that we can try to get there and this is the plan to get there,” said Arnett.
For the referendum to pass, both the City and Town would have to vote in favor of it.
Without a unified front, leaders say they will have to try to find another way to fund these services.
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