Representatives on the Holmen Area Fire District Association Board experienced “sticker shock” when they received a preliminary budget for the operation of the Holmen Area Fire Department next year.
Referring to the nearly $1 million budget as an advisory draft, Assistant Chief/Chief Buck Manley presented the operating and capital budget numbers at the fire board Aug. 22 meeting. The fire board is made up of representatives from the towns of Holland and Onalaska and the village of Holmen.
“I realize there are some stiff numbers,” Manley said. “Here’s what we are looking at to just keep pace with growth.”
The 2019 proposed budget of $998,470 is a 38 percent increase from the 2018 budget. If next year’s proposed budget is approved by the fire board as presented, the amounts each municipality would contribute to the fire department would increase based on the equalized assessed values for each community.