Village of Weston April 2026 Referendum

This referendum requests a single, permanent increase to the operating tax levy. If approved, the levy would go up once $600,000 and be the new starting point for the annual levy amount. 

The $600,000 is a one-time increase to the levy. The amount does not increase annually. The number could only increase through another referendum.

Under Wisconsin law, most municipalities (cities, villages, towns, and counties) are restricted in how much they can increase their property tax levy each year. The basic rule is that the levy can only go up by a percentage tied to net new construction (i.e., growth from new buildings and improvements) in the community — not the overall increase in property values. This effectively freezes the base tax on existing property unless there’s growth or a permitted exception. Even with healthy development, the net new construction percentage could not have covered the addition of six additional staff.  

Since the creation of the District in 2014, staffing numbers have remained fairly consistent.  At the same time the District has experienced a significant increase in call volume. This has resulted in the District requesting mutual aid in excess of 100 times annually and has resulted in an increase in response times that continues to grow each year.

This has been an issue for several years. At the direction of elected officials, the District has attempted several less expensive options, none of which have been successful. Current taxing restraints set forth by state government have led to the request for referendum.

SAFER has robust mutual and automatic aid agreements with multiple agencies in the area. The three metro area departments responded to 12,221 incidents in 2025. Neighboring municipalities are not always available to assist. The District’s reliance on mutual aid is already significant and has more than tripled in the past five years.   

The District attempted to begin a paid per call firefighter program. The program had 12 applicants, unfortunately only 1 of those applicants completed the process and remains with the District. A FEMA grant was applied for in 2025, unfortunately that grant was denied. The Village explored the possibility of a fire fee. After several discussions that option was paused in favor of moving forward with a referendum.  

This expense was not the result of overspending; it reflects a new cost to add six additional staff. This is not a case of exceeding allocated funds but rather incorporating an identified need for additional personnel due to:

• increased call volume,
• changes in total population,
• changes in practices for Fire and EMS departments, including increased training hours, and 
• current workload levels contributing to staff burnout.

There are four primary goals for the referendum:

1. Reduce the number of times the SAFER District needs to request mutual aid by 80%.
2. Reduce the number of medical calls that have a response time of greater than 10 minutes by 80%.
3. Return a second tender (fire truck able to carry water) and have the ability to staff the tender therefore reducing the Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating.
4. Increase the number of firefighters on scene by at least three. 

This number can vary based upon the value of your home. On a per capita basis Weston residents pay approximately $90 per year for fire and emergency medical services. A study by the University of Oshkosh in 2020 calculated an average per capita cost of $170 in Wisconsin. Following the referendum, it is estimated that the per capita cost in the Village will increase to approximately $120 still well below the state average.

If approved, $600,000 would have an approximate impact of $0.34/per $1,000 assessed value on a home. The chart below displays annual impact on a home based on the 2025 assessed values.

If additional staffing would be rejected by the residents the District would continue to operate as is. SAFER would continue to provide the most rapid and effective service possible with the allocated resources allowed.

Yes, if approved, the levy limit exemption could be an amount up to the $600,000. However, if we determined a lesser amount was needed, the capacity or difference could not be saved for a future year. The adjustment can only be made in the first year after it is approved and there is no inflationary amount in referendum questions.