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Weston board advances draft referendum to fund six additional fire/EMS staff, asks for attorney review
Summary
The Village of Weston board agreed to advance a draft resolution for a spring referendum to add six fire/EMS personnel (estimated midyear cost roughly $600,000) and directed staff to obtain legal review; trustees emphasized they may educate voters but cannot advocate for the measure.
The Weston Village Board moved to advance a draft resolution that would ask voters in a spring referendum to exceed state levy limits to fund six additional fire/EMS personnel. Trustees asked staff to send the draft to the village attorney for legal review and signaled the item will return for final action in January.
The draft under discussion proposed either hiring three staff in 2027 and three in 2028 or adding all six midyear in 2027. Staff presented an illustrative levy impact for adding six midyear that was rounded in materials to roughly $600,000, with a higher illustrative scenario of $700,000 discussed as an upper estimate pending health-insurance and wage negotiations.
Trustees and staff repeatedly distinguished the village—oard uthority to educate from the prohibition on using public funds to advocate. As one staff member said, "as trustees and as the village, we can educate but we cannot advocate for the referendum." The board asked that the draft resolution be reviewed by the village attorney (and potentially the League for non-legal guidance) before a final vote.
Trustees discussed options if a referendum failed, including incremental approaches, and asked staff to clarify net-new construction assumptions used in the estimate. The board approved a motion to advance the draft and forward it for attorney review; the motion carried on a voice vote. The resolution will return to the board for final consideration in January.
What happens next: The board directed staff to obtain legal review of the draft resolution and to return the item in January with any attorney-recommended edits and final fiscal figures.
