Germantown voters to decide on referendum that would add 10 firefighters, 4 police officers

On April 2, Germantown voters will decide if they want to increase the property tax levy by nearly 9% to fund additional firefighters-paramedics and police officers.

This referendum reads as, "Under state law, the increase in the levy of the Village of Germantown for the tax to be imposed for the next fiscal year, 2025, is limited to 2.97%, which results in a levy of $16,212,166. Shall the Village of Germantown be allowed to exceed this limit and increase the levy for the next fiscal year, 2025, and on an ongoing basis, for the purpose of hiring four (4) new police officers and ten (10) new firefighter-paramedics, by a total of 8.941%, which results in a levy of $17,661,634?"

This is what the referendum entails.

Why is this referendum needed for the fire department?

This referendum is needed because of the growing increase in calls, according to the Germantown Fire Department. Between 2016 and 2023, the department had nearly a 41% increase in calls for emergency services. In 2023, nearly 20% of the 2,452 calls for service occurred at the same time.

Because the department has five personnel on-duty per shift, Fire Chief John Delain said there is not enough staff to adequately respond to multiple emergencies.“The demand for emergency responses from the Germantown Fire Department has grown faster than our staffing levels,” Delain said in a news release. “Insufficient staff to do more work puts pressure on our personnel, forces us to make our staff work long hours and rely more often on neighboring communities – all of which can compromise outcomes for those experiencing an emergency.”

Why is the referendum needed for the Germantown Police Department?

The Germantown Police Department needs more officers as the community has grown and the kinds of calls have shifted. According to department officials, these kinds of calls need more officers. The department cited more drug-related calls that include overdoses and retail theft, which require multiple officers to respond and need more officer time to complete the necessary paperwork.

Also, the Germantown Police Department only has just over one officer per square mile while neighboring communities in Washington County have more. According to data on the village website, West Bend, Kewaskum and Hartford have over three officers per square mile.

“Staffing levels have remained constant while the demand for police response has increased," Germantown Police Chief Mike Snow said in a news release. "We continue to explore cost-saving measures to fund stop-gap measures which will allow us to immediately bolster our Department while we continue important conversations with our neighbors about the need for additional staffing to ensure GPD can truly meet the public safety needs and expectations of our community."

What impact would the Germantown referendum have on the property tax levy?

The dollar amount of the property tax levy increase would be $1,449,468.

How much would the property tax increase be per person?

If the referendum passes, the increase would be an estimated $51 annually, or about $1 per week, per $100,000 in assessed property value.

If a property owner has a Germantown home valued at $350,000, the property tax increase would be $178.13 annually or about $3.43 per week.

If the referendum passes, how will it work for the fire department?

If the referendum passes with 10 new firefighter-paramedics, there would be seven to eight personnel on duty per shift. According to the fire department officials, four-member crews could immediately depart a fire station and enter a burning structure quickly. This would be instead of having to wait for the arrival of backup from a neighboring community or for paid-on-call staff who may be responding from home or their day job.

Additional staff would also enable the fire department to dispatch up to three ambulances at once and meet the growing need in Germantown for emergency medical services.

If the referendum passes, how will it work for the police department?

If the referendum passes to allow for four new police officers, two more patrol officers would be on first and second shifts, which are the busiest shifts. That, according to the police department, would allow the department to respond to simultaneous calls for service and provide proactive police services.

Are there any public meetings scheduled about this referendum?

There is an open informational meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, at Germantown Village Hall, N112 W17001 Mequon Road.

The meeting will also be broadcast on Channel 25 in the Germantown area and on the Village of Germantown's YouTube Channel.

Where can I get more information on the Germantown public safety referendum?

For more information on the referendum, visit germantownwi.gov/743/Public-Safety-Referendum.

For more information on voting or about the spring elections

To get more information about voting or information about all the elections, visit myvote.wi.gov/en-us.

Voter identification is required to vote in Wisconsin. Acceptable identification includes a Wisconsin Department of Transportation-issued driver's license, even if driving privileges are revoked or suspended; a Wisconsin DOT-issued identification card; a Wisconsin DOT-issued identification/military identification card issued by a United States uniformed services; a U.S. passport or a photo identification card issued by a Wisconsin state university or college that contains date of issuance, signature of student and a date no later than two years after date of issuance.

The DMV can issue identification cards for voters who do not have one. For more information, call the Voter ID hotline at 844-588-1069. For other voter identification questions, call 608-264-7447 or visit bit.ly/idinformation.

More: Meet the Germantown School Board candidates running in the February primary

More: Proposed development could bring up to 600 residential units to the village of Germantown

Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com. Follow her on X at @kozlowicz_cathy.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Germantown voters to decide on public safety referendum April 2