Weston board delays vote on proposed annual fire fee after wide public concern

The Village of Weston Board of Trustees postponed action on a proposed annual fire fee after more than a dozen residents spoke at Monday’s meeting urging a referendum, more transparency and limits on any fee, and after trustees said they need additional legal and financial answers.

The board voted to return the item to the next regular meeting and told staff to get the outstanding questions answered; trustees said they would call a special meeting if the village receives notice on a federal SAFER grant that requires a response within 14 days. “If the grant comes through … we’d have 14 days to respond,” Village President Mark Maloney told the meeting.

Why it matters: Residents said the fee would impose a new and ongoing charge on homeowners and businesses, that the public had been denied a promised referendum, and that the village should explain how the charge would interact with the village levy and other revenues. Public commenters ranged from homeowners to property managers who said their properties do not get equivalent benefit from the proposed per-parcel or square-foot fee.

Public comments were extensive and sharply critical. Justin Claremore, a resident, said: “I’m gonna call it what it is, and that’s a tax.” Jamie Wilder, another resident, said state law requires a referendum filing well before a spring ballot and added: “State law requires approval at least 70 days before the election,” arguing that inaction effectively prevented a spring 2025 referendum. Several speakers asked for a sunset clause; one resident suggested a three-year sunset expiring Dec. 31, 2028.

Officials and staff described open questions that staff will return with next month. An administrator’s summary for trustees said the village must determine whether a fire fee may be charged for a portion of fire costs and still be supplemented by the levy, and staff warned that “we do have to take a levy reduction the year we would implement the fee, and there’s a formula calculation for that.” The administrator also noted the legal limit that the fee “can only be used for the cost of fire” and that any increase would be limited to increases in the cost of fire protection.

Fire department staffing and coverage were discussed at length. The Fire Chief said staffing numbers in public comments were being misstated and described how the proposed hires would alter shift coverage: “As far as full time staff from administrative all the way down through the ranks, we have 27,” the chief said, and added that the nine proposed hires would add roughly three people per shift and address periods where one station currently has zero fire coverage when crews are on ambulance calls.

Property owners pressed the board with cost examples and equity questions. A representative of Montview Estates said the property already has a full sprinkler system and estimated an individual-property preliminary fee at about $740.87; the speaker asked the board to consider exemptions or reduced assessments for properties that derive less marginal benefit from faster or larger responses.

Board action and next steps: Trustee Zagami moved — and Trustee Ermling seconded — a motion to move the item back to the board’s next meeting so the HR and Finance Committee and staff can return with answers about levy impacts, whether the fee may cover only a portion of fire costs, possible annual limits or caps, and a final recommendation. The motion passed unanimously. Trustees said they would schedule a special meeting within the SAFER grant response window if the village learns it must act sooner.

The board asked staff to provide clearer examples of the per-unit calculations used in committee materials and to publish communications if a special meeting becomes necessary. The administrator and finance staff also flagged that the village must calculate any required levy reduction in the year the fee is implemented and that the interaction with other taxing authorities could affect the net tax shift to residents.

The board did not adopt or approve the fire fee at Monday’s meeting; trustees said no final policy was in place and no referendum had been scheduled. The item will return to the board’s meeting agenda next month, and the village will notify the public if a SAFER grant decision accelerates the timetable.