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Caln Township moves to advertise a balanced 2026 budget, proposes higher fire millage
Summary
Township staff presented a balanced 2026 budget and the board voted to advertise taxes and the budget; the proposal includes raising the fire tax to 1.5 mills (about $55/year on a $150,000 assessment) while keeping the EMS millage at 0.4.
Caln Township officials presented a proposed balanced budget for 2026 and the board voted to advertise the tax rates and budget for public review.
Township finance staff summarized revenue streams (real estate taxes, earned income tax/local services tax, licenses and fees, grants, charges for service) and outlined major spending priorities. The presentation highlighted an increase in staffing and pension costs, ongoing capital projects and stormwater initiatives.
Key figures: the proposed township tax rate across township funds would sum to 6.84 mills (general fund 4.5 mills, debt service 0.44 mills, fire 1.5 mills, EMS 0.4 mills). For an average assessed property valued at $150,000, the township portion of the bill was estimated at roughly $1,026; the proposed fire tax increase of about 0.366 mills would raise the average household—————————————————————————————————————————— multiple to about $55 annually to support 24/7 career fire staffing and other life-safety upgrades.
Why it matters: staff said police and public works account for the largest shares of township spending; the budget proposal also anticipates grant-funded capital work (culverts, Beaver Creek Trail segment, Lincoln Highway improvements) and a $1.2 million bridge/crossing project planned for spring 2026. The board emphasized the difficulty of balancing service needs (police, fire, EMS) with revenue limitations and noted that some recent assessed-value appeals reduced projected property tax revenue.
Board action: commissioners voted to advertise the proposed 2026 budget and tax rates for public comment and formal adoption at the advertised hearing; motions passed 5-0.
Quotes (attributed): "We have a balanced budget that we hope will be approved on December 11th," Lisa, finance staff, said during the presentation.
"Fire staffing is non-negotiable; we need career staffing to maintain response levels," a board member said in explaining the proposed fire tax increase.
Ending: The board moved to advertise the proposed 2026 budget and tax rates. The advertised budget will be available for public review and the board plans to consider formal adoption following the statutorily required advertisement period.
