Colfax fire board approves $112,700 budget for 2022 and $94,700 property tax levy
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
Editor’s note: LeAnn R. Ralph serves as a supervisor on the Otter Creek Town Board, and in the absence of Mark Warner, chair of the Otter Creek Town Board, represented the township at the fire board meeting.
COLFAX — The Colfax Community Fire District Board has approved a budget of $112,700 for 2022 with a property tax levy of $94,700.
The 2022 budget and levy is essentially the same budget and levy the fire department has had for the last 10 years.
Don Logslett, Colfax fire chief, told members of the fire board at the October 14 meeting the same thing he tells them every year — he does not see a need to increase the budget and levy when the fire department’s expenses are being covered and there will be a budget surplus at the end of the year.
When there is a budget surplus, the Colfax fire board has been transferring the money into the equipment replacement fund.
As of September 30, the equipment replacement fund contained $209,021.64, which does not include the $20,000 in the 2021 budget designated for the equipment replacement fund.
The budget surplus from 2020 that has been transferred into the equipment replace fund was $22,973.
The Colfax Community Fire District includes the Village of Colfax and the Towns of Colfax, Grant and Otter Creek.
Roster
The Colfax fire department’s roster has recently lost a couple of firefighters, and finding new people to join the fire department is difficult, Logslett said.
The training to become a firefighter takes quite a lot of time, and between work and family, people do not have that much extra time to devote to training, he said.
State regulators want volunteer firefighters trained to the same level as professional firefighters, but professional firefighters go out and fight fires every day while volunteer firefighters might go out on a fire once a month, Logslett said.
The Colfax fire board approved increasing the wages for firefighters from $14 per hour to $15 per hour.
According to an article published in the Colfax Messenger in 2011, the Colfax fire board approved wages of $15 per hour for firefighters at a meeting held February 3, 2011.
The previous rate charged before the February 3, 2011, meeting had been $10 per hour per uncertified firefighter and $14 per hour for each certified firefighter.
The raise to $15 per hour approved by the fire board in 2011 was never implemented.
When firefighters go out on a call, their time is invoiced at $15 per hour to cover the payroll taxes, but for more than 10 years, the firefighters themselves have been paid $14 per hour.
Tax levy
The municipalities in the Colfax fire district pay the tax levy according to the percentage of property in the fire district.
Here are the tax levy amounts approved by the Colfax fire board:
• Town of Colfax — equalized value of $103,072,900 (38.7 percent of the property in the fire district) and a property tax levy of $36,638.56.
• Village of Colfax — equalized value of $63,189,400 (23.7 percent of the property in the fire district) and a property tax levy of $22,461.47.
• Town of Grant — equalized value of $48,746,800 (18.3 percent of the the property in the fire district) and a property tax levy of $17,327.66.
• Town of Otter Creek — equalized value of $51,404,300 (19.3 percent of the property in the fire district) and a property tax levy of $18,272.31.
The total of equalized value in the Colfax fire district is $266,413,400.
Fire runs
Here are the fire run numbers Logslett reported to the Colfax fire board so far in 2021:
• Grass fires — 5 in 2021, compared to 3 in 2020, 7 in 2019 and 1 in 2018.
• Structure fires — 5 in 2021, compared to 3 in 2020, 0 in 2019 and 1 in 2018.
• False alarms — 0 in 2021, compared to 1 in 2020, 0 in 2019 and 2 in 2018.
• Down power lines — 0 in 2021, compared to 2 in 2020, 0 in 2019 and 1 in 2018.
• Car accidents — 6 in 2021, compared to 5 in 2020, 3 in 2019 and 5 in 2018. (Logslett told the fire board that when the county’s 911 dispatch calls the fire department out for a car accident, the fire department is required to respond).
• Gas leaks (carbon monoxide) — 3 in 2021, compared to 1 in 2020, 4 in 2019 and 6 in 2018.
• Pool fills — 6 in 2021, compared to 2 in 2020, 6 in 2019 and 5 in 2018.
• Vehicle fires — 1 in 2021, compared to 2 in 2020, 3 in 2019 and 0 in 2018.
• River rescue — 2 in 2021, compared to 0 in 2020, 0 in 2019 and 0 in 2018.
Total runs so far for 2021 is 28.
Total runs for 2020 was 19.
Total runs for 2019 was 29.
Total runs for 2018 was 22.
Service hours
Here are the service hours that Logslett reported to the fire board from January 1 through October 1, 2021:
• Fire hours — 262 for 2021, compared to 183 for 2020, 230 for 2019, and 260 for 2018, with 124 in 2017 and 190 in 2016.
• EMS hours — 55 for 2021, compared to 42 for 2020, 43 for 2019, and 38 for 2018, with 55 in 2017 and 24 in 2016.
• Mutual aid hours (total firefighter hours devoted to mutual aid) — 115 for 2021, compared to 183 for 2020, 230 for 2019, and 260 for 2018, with 124 in 2017 and 190 in 2016.
• Training hours — 223 for 2021, compared to 142 for 2020, 104 for 2019, and 103 for 2018, with 100 in 2017 and 109 in 2016.
• Meeting hours (total firefighter hours devoted to meetings of the firefighters) — 116 for 2021, compared to 104 for 2020, 174 for 2019, and 186 for 2018, with 188 in 2017 and 182 in 2016.
• Special duty (building move) — 3 hours for 2021 and 0 hours for 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016. • Entry level schooling — 0 hours for 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016.
Mutual aid
Here is the mutual aid provided and received by the Colfax fire department in 2021:
• Boyceville — 2 hours provided and 1 hour received.
• Menomonie — 4 hours provided and 3 hours received.
• Elk Mound — 1 hour provided and 1 hour received.
• Ridgeland — 0 hours provided and 0 hours received.
• Chippewa fire protection district — 0 hours provided and 0 hours received.
• Sand Creek — 0 hours provided and 2 hours received.
• Glenwood City — 0 hours provided and 0 hours received.
• Bloomer — 2 hours provided and 0 hours received.
• Wheaton — 2 hours provided and 0 hours received.
• Durand — 1 hour provided and 0 hours received.
• Spring Valley — 1 hour provided and 0 hours received.
All together, so far in 2021, the Colfax fire department has provided 13 hours of mutual aid and has received 7 hours of mutual aid.
In 2020, Colfax provided 9 hours of mutual aid and received 5 hours of mutual aid.
In 2019, Colfax provided 11 hours of mutual aid and received 1 hour of mutual aid.
In 2018, Colfax provided 6 hours of mutual aid and received 7 hours of mutual aid.
Logslett said the trend tends to be that Colfax provides more mutual aid than Colfax receives.
What is not known is how many hours of mutual aid the other fire departments provide and receive to other fire departments in comparison.