JEFFERSON – Geneva-on-the-Lake’s fire levy failed in the May 5 election by a nearly double margin.
Unofficial election results show that 103 voted against the levy, while only 57 voted for it. According to a breakdown, 63.58 percent of voters cast no votes while only 35.19 percent voted for the levy.
The 4.75-mill levy would have generated roughly $249,000 annually, according to GOTL Fire Chief Andy Kaschalk.
“I want to thank the residents that did support the levy,” he said, when asked for comment.
Kaschalk noted that the village is now at a crossroads, and will figure out what the next step is.
“We’re Geneva-on-the-Lake,” he said. “We’re resilient.”
He said it was the first time in decades that an additional fire levy was requested.
Kaschalk noted that the fire department posted a message on its Facebook page following the defeat of the levy.
It reads as follows: “Tonight, the Geneva-on-the-Lake Fire Department learned that the Fire & EMS Levy did not pass. While this is not the outcome we had hoped for, we appreciate everyone who took the time to participate in the election. With the failure of this levy, the Fire Department and Village leadership will now be forced to make some very difficult decisions about the future of fire and EMS services in our community. These discussions may include staffing, response coverage, equipment replacement, and longer response times. We remain committed to serving Geneva-on-the-Lake to the best of our ability and will continue working with Village officials to determine the best path forward for our residents and visitors. We sincerely thank everyone who supported the levy and continues to support the Geneva-on-the-Lake Fire Department.”
According to Kaschalk, the additional levy would have been an operations levy covering the cost of operating the fire department, maintaining and improving current equipment, increasing personnel, and increasing station staffing.
“In order to bring in seasoned veterans from our response area, as a department we must come up to the pay standards within our region,” he said previously. “Volunteering is a dying nationwide, which is making call staffing increasingly difficult. Most people on our department and more than likely on surrounding departments work more than one job. This is the step we need to take to begin the transitions from a volunteer department to a staffed department to be able to handle call volume that is on the rise. As Geneva-on-the-Lake develops, so does the call volume.”
He said previously that investment in the fire department will ensure its operation and give the department the ability to better serve the community.
“We are trying to prevent the village having to make a decision between operating our own community fire department or closing it and having to outsource to neighboring departments,” he stated. “That cost will still have to be shouldered by the residents of Geneva-on-the-Lake. The cost will be greatly more than what we are asking on the levy. It would increase response time.”
For the homeowner, he said the levy would have cost about $0.49 per day per $100,000 assessed valuation.
