05/01/2026
The City of Elkhorn would like to share more information about the City’s funding and support for the Fire Department.
Since the 2020 Referendum was approved for $1,625,902, the City has budgeted to use an average of $1,679,422 per year in non-debt levy for the Fire Department. Under the term of the current fire chief, who was appointed in 2024, the actual levy expense was $1,743,045.12 in 2024 and $1,697,161.74 in 2025 (based on the pre-audit number for 2025). Furthermore, in 2026 the City budgeted to use $1,702,057.77 of its non-debt levy on the Fire Department.
In addition to the non-debt levy discussed above, the City has issued debt to spend an additional $323,296.24 per year (on average) on capital equipment and apparatus for fire protection services since the referendum was approved, and the City is budgeted to spend $556,631.40 on capital equipment and apparatus for fire protection services in 2026.
From 2020 to 2026 the Fire Department’s operating budget has increased from $1,684,177 (pre-referendum) to $4,749,014.37. When the 2020 Referendum was approved, personnel costs were projected to be $2,475,902 with full-time staffing. In the 2026 budget, personnel costs are budgeted to be $3,540,334.50.
The attached document contains more details about the City’s efforts to recruit and retain personnel, address equipment and apparatus needs, and improve the conditions at the fire station.
