Hartland board backs 2.3-mill HDFA renewal, asks counsel to draft ballot language

The Hartland Township Board on April 7 agreed to advance a 2.3-mill renewal proposal for the Hartland Deerfield Fire Authority (HDFA) and asked bond counsel to prepare formal ballot language for the boardto consider on April 21.

Township Manager Mike Luce introduced consultant Steven Burke of MFCI, who presented a capital-financing model based on the HDFA capital budget. Burke said the model was built to "smooth out some of the heavy capital years" and assumes the HDFAoperational budget remains funded by the existing 2.0 mills while capital purchases would be financed differently to reduce spikes in future millage rates.

Board members discussed a range of scenarios, including projected inflation, shortfalls under certain assumptions, Deerfield Township contributions, the HDFAdebt-service schedule, and legal and financial concerns that could require presenting two ballot proposals. Burke described one option in which the Township, via an intergovernmental agreement, could use its credit to finance long-term assets at lower rates than the HDFA could on its own.

After the presentation and discussion, "the consensus of the Board was to move forward with a recommended millage renewal proposal of 2.3 mills with our bond counsel and have a formal proposal and ballot language brought to the next Board meeting on April 21, 2026," the board record states.

What happens next: bond counsel will draft formal language and the board will consider the ballot proposal at its April 21 meeting before any final placement on a ballot.