Though officially separate, Willow and Caswell emergency services have been operating as a single group for a number of years. Deputy Director of Mat-Su Borough Emergency Services Brian Davis says all on-call responders currently work for both departments and will continue to do so if a proposed merger is approved.
Davis says the merger will eliminate redundancies and see some administrative efficiencies. The staff and chief will remain the same. Director of Borough Emergency Services Ken Barkley says staff fully support the merger.
Davis says there were about 225 calls for service in the Willow area and about 75 in the Caswell area in 2023. Each service area pays a specific mill rate for the services. With the proposed merger, Caswell area residents will see a slight reduction in their mill rates to match the Willow rates.
Barkley says the Borough has reached out to Road Service Area Boards and Community Councils about the merger and received no pushback to date.
The Mat-Su Assembly will discuss the proposed merger at the August sixth public meeting. Should the Assembly approve the proposal, it will appear as a ballot measure in this fall’s election. A majority of each Willow and Caswell area residents will need to approve the merger.
