WYOMING, Michigan — In less than a week, voters in Wyoming will decide whether or not to pass a millage that could address ongoing public safety staffing shortages across the city.
Wyoming Interim City Manager John McCarter sat down with 13 ON YOUR SIDE Thursday to explain the proposal and how much it could cost residents.
If passed, the millage would provide roughly $4,000,000 to the Public Safety Department, including law enforcement and fire departments. That would mean 27 new positions would open, 14 of those for the police force and 13 for the fire departments.
As it stands, two of Wyoming's fire stations are not able to operate due to staffing issues and aging equipment.
"Most of the calls that we see these days are medical, and really the goal is to get there in four minutes," said McCarter. "And there are areas of our city where that response time is over six. And that's because we don't have the people in the right places throughout the city to respond quickly. And by staffing all four of these fire stations that will allow our firefighters to be in a position to get there fast for medical emergencies across the community."
So with the $4 million investment on the line, the big question remains:
What will it cost Wyoming residents?
McCarter says, that number could vary, but is based on the taxable value of your home.
"So if you have a home with a market value of $200,000, that means the taxable value on your home is roughly $100,000. And this would cost you $150 per year," McCarter said.
The City of Wyoming has provided a calculator for residents to find out what they could pay if the millage passes.
However, if the millage fails, the need for staff would still remain.
"We are not in a position where we would be cutting any of our positions in right now we have some there will be funding for this millage that are either funded through our fund balance or savings account and some that are grant funded. We're able to hold on to those positions. But we need to add more positions on both the police and fire side and we'd have to explore options after the millage if it doesn't pass," McCarter said.
The election is May 2.
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