One Fire Engine Now Costs $1 Million. Davison Needs $5.9 Million Worth.

By Carrie Thompson, Strategic Marketing Real Estate Agent, eXp Realty | Grand Blanc & Genesee County, MI

That is Davison Fire Chief Brian Flewelling's own estimate. The community needs $5.9 million for all the vehicles it will have to replace in the next few years, and the cost of a single fire engine has soared past $1 million. (Genesee County View, September 3, 2026)

At its regular meeting on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, the Davison Fire Authority voted unanimously to move ahead with a proposed millage request and to make an offer on property on Lapeer Road for a new fire station. The figure being discussed is 2.2 mills, though the paper reported that many details of the proposal are still not fully decided.

There is a second pressure behind all of this, and it is not about money. The department is running out of volunteers. On Monday, September 14, the Davison City Council and the Davison and Richfield boards of trustees are set to consider budget amendments so the department can hire a couple of full-time firefighters now, to help deal with the dwindling number of volunteers on the day shift.

The proposal would replace what you already pay, not add to it

This is the part to get straight before anything else.

The Davison Fire Authority is made up of the City of Davison, Davison Township and Richfield Township. All three currently fund their share of the Davison-Richfield Area Fire Department's budget through special assessments imposed on property owners.

A 2.2 mill proposal, if approved by voters, would eliminate those current special assessments. It would also fund new fire trucks, a new fire station, and a move away from a dwindling volunteer department toward one staffed by full and part-time firefighters.

So the question in front of Davison-area voters is not whether to start paying for fire protection. They already do. It is whether to change how.

The station on South Main is aging out

Fire Station No. 1 at 403 S. Main Street would be replaced by a new, modern facility.

At the same August 25 meeting, the authority voted unanimously to buy property on Lapeer Road in Davison Township for a new main station. Township supervisor Jim Slezak said the owner is asking $354,000. The authority voted to offer $300,000, with the city's attorney negotiating and the authority reimbursing the city for those attorney costs.

Slezak's working numbers, which he presented at millage levels of 1.85, 2.0 and 2.2 mills, put four full-time and two part-time firefighters at about $600,000, another $300,000 into the transportation fund, $45,000 into capital increment and equipment, and $625,000 a year toward what he estimates could be a $10 million fire station.

He was careful about not overshooting. "I just want to make sure we're good on the number," Slezak said. "I know we said 2.2 mills, but just going through everything because I know tax-wise we shouldn't be overtaxing just to build the fund."

The authority currently holds $1.6 million in its vehicle replacement fund and would route building money into that fund until the station is actually built, which Slezak projected would bring the vehicle fund to $4.375 million after three years.

Against Flewelling's $5.9 million vehicle need.

The obstacle is not the voters. It is two tax capture districts.

Here is the wrinkle almost nobody outside a council chamber knows about, and it is worth understanding because it exists in a lot of Michigan downtowns.

The City of Davison has a Local Development Financing Authority and a Downtown Development Authority. Both are Tax Increment Financing entities, created to fund improvement projects in the business district. Both would capture a significant portion of any new millage levied for the fire department.

City Manager Andrea Schroeder is working with the city's planners and attorneys on whether those captures can be overridden, and said the city has to follow state statutes on it.

"There's discussion on exactly how that is going to work and how much time it's going to take," Schroeder said. "We're not there yet on knowing how much."

Asked how clear the path is, she was blunt. "I'm very unclear," she said. "That's why I'm dealing with our attorney and our planner to figure out how we have to do it. And it's different for an LDFA than how it's done for a DDA."

Davison Township has the same issue with its own DDA. Slezak said if the township cannot override its DDA's ability to capture funds from a fire millage, it would mean a loss of between $80,000 and $100,000 to the fire authority every year.

"I don't think it will take more than five months," Slezak said, "but I'm just saying I don't know if it's going to be two public meetings or more."

Schroeder told the authority she was fine with moving ahead, but could not guarantee how long resolving the capture issue would take, and warned it could change either the election date or the amount being asked for.

The calendar is tight

The authority voted to target the May 2027 ballot. The paperwork has to be submitted by February.

If it slips to November 2027, there is a second problem. Davison Township Treasurer Travis Howell said the township has to have its December tax bills ordered and printed 45 to 60 days before they go out, which makes it unlikely a November 2027 vote would reach the tax rolls by the end of that year.

Flewelling raised the question himself at the meeting: if the election slips to November 2027, could it be certified and on the tax rolls by December, or would they have to wait until September 2028. Howell's answer about the printing window is why that is a real concern.

What this means if you are buying in the Davison area

Three things, and none of them are a reason to avoid the area.

First, read the tax bill, not just the millage rate. If you are looking at a home in the City of Davison, Davison Township or Richfield Township, fire protection currently shows up as a special assessment. That is a real line item, and comparing a Davison tax bill to one in a community that funds fire through millage is not apples to apples unless you account for it.

Second, this is a live question, not a settled one. A millage proposal is headed toward a May 2027 vote, the amount could still change, and the whole thing is contingent on resolving the DDA and LDFA capture issue first. Anyone who tells you what Davison's fire funding will look like in 2028 is guessing.

Third, the volunteer model is changing here and in a lot of places. A department moving from volunteers to paid staff is a structural shift, and it costs money whichever way a community funds it. Davison is having that conversation in public, with the numbers on the table, which is more than many communities do.

The Davison Fire Authority is made up of representatives from all three communities and meets publicly. Genesee County View covers those meetings, and everything in this post came from its reporting.

If you are looking at a home in Davison, Davison Township, Grand Blanc, Fenton, Linden, Flushing, Swartz Creek, Burton, Goodrich or Holly and you want help reading an actual tax bill before you write an offer, call or text me at (810) 893-3269.

About Carrie Thompson

Carrie Thompson is a licensed Michigan Realtor (#6501338662) with eXp Realty, serving Grand Blanc, Fenton, Davison, Linden, Flushing, Swartz Creek, Burton, Goodrich, Holly, and Genesee County. Known as "Your Favorite Property Girl," she brings a strategic marketing approach to every listing and every buyer search. Call or text (810) 893-3269.