Ferrysburg seeks millage to replace city vehicles

Thu, Oct 29, 2009    to del.icio.us

FERRYSBURG — Despite the poor economy, Ferrysburg Mayor Jeff Stille hopes city voters realize the need for a millage that funds the replacement of city vehicles.

"It needs to be a long-term plan," he said. "(The vehicles) have got to be replaced. We need to maintain that."

The city is asking voters to approve 1 mill over 10 years that will be used to replace vehicles used by the Ferrysburg Fire Department, the city's public works department and the Spring Lake/Ferrysburg Police Department. If passed, the millage is expected to bring in approximately $162,000 in its first year, City Treasurer Debbie Wierenga said.

The millage will help the city set aside money for the vehicles in chunks instead of having the general fund take a huge hit all at once, Stille said.

"It's better to have money set aside in bits and bits over a long period of time," he said. "It's better money management."

Voters first approved the vehicle replacement millage in 1989 at 1.75 mills. It was renewed in 1998 at 1.25 mills before being voted down by nearly 63 percent of 1,713 Ferrysburg voters last year.

According to Wierenga, who also acts as the city clerk, the fund had a balance of $1,146,669 at the end of September. However, City Council approved a $520,857 bid for a new fire truck at its July meeting.

It takes about a year to build the truck, Wierenga said, and the city expects to take delivery of the truck and pay for it by the end of the current fiscal year in June 2010.

The city also has approximately $160,000 budgeted this year to replace two aging dump trucks used by the public works department and another $11,700 budgeted for the city's share of a new police cruiser. The Village of Spring Lake and Ferrysburg split the cost of a new police vehicle each year.

Other city vehicles are also on a replacement schedule, according to City Manager Craig Bessinger. Fire trucks are replaced after 20 years and public works equipment is typically replaced every 10 years.

If the millage is voted down again, Stille is worried that the city will eventually be forced to purchase vehicles out of the city's general fund.

"Something's got to give," the mayor said, adding that the general fund taking a hit could result in higher taxes anyway.

Having up-to-date equipment also helps Ferrysburg have one of the highest-rated fire departments around, Stille said, which results in lower insurance premiums for the city's homeowners. If the equipment is allowed to age, it could have a direct affect on those premiums.

"It does pay back in insurance premiums," he said of the millage. "It does make a difference."