A proposed agreement for a combined Dexter and Scio fire department is making the rounds of four municipalities as officials work on a proposed regional fire service through a process that began about 20 months ago.

The department, to be called the Mid-County Fire Department, would provide fire service to the residents of the Village of Dexter and Scio, Webster and Dexter townships.

The regional department is under consideration as a way to improve service and reduce overall costs for fire protection.

The purpose is to “provide fire protection services and related emergency health and safety services within and throughout the covered territory,” the draft document states. It also has provisions that would allow other fire departments or municipalities to join in the future.

Monday night at the Dexter Village Council meeting, current Dexter Area Fire Department Board Chairman Jim Seta did not discuss the draft agreement during his quarterly report to the council, instead addressing the department's current operations.

“We still believe we have the best fire department in Washtenaw County," he said.

The governing board would be known as the Mid-County Fire Department Board and consist of a fire chief and two appointed officials from each of the four communities, one of whom must be an elected official. In addition, the largest municipality involved — at this juncture, Scio Township — would have three members at the table.

If the agreement is approved by the four municipalities, the initial board members would be chosen within 60 days and appointed members would serve for two years — with the exception of the third representative from the largest municipality, who would serve for one year.

After that, the terms for board members would be four years, with the exception of the member from the largest municipality, which would remain at one year.

The board representatives may be paid for serving on the board and receive expenses if money is included in the regional department’s budget. A chairman, vice chairman, treasurer and secretary shall be elected and serve for one year. It’s expected that the board will meet monthly and have an annual meeting.

The fiscal year is proposed from April 1 through March 31 and both an operating and capital budget are to be planned. The board may also develop a rolling five-year budget to assist in planning proposed capital improvements, the draft states.

Also included is the development of a master service plan within three years of the acceptance of this agreement to outline future needs and be updated every year.

The board would be responsible for “hiring a fire chief, one or more deputy or assistant chiefs, and such other command officers and other employees, accountants, attorneys and consultants as the board considers advisable to carry out the purposes of the department,” the draft document states.

Currently, the Dexter Area Fire Department and Scio Fire Department each have a chief. The “personal property, equipment and vehicles owned by the members for fire protection shall become the property of the department,” the draft states, while the fire houses shall be leased to the combined department.

Costs for the member municipalities will be determined by a “cost-weighted formula that uses population, taxable value and historical usage factors,” the draft states.

For the proposed budget of about $2 million, Dexter Township is expected to pay about $289,000, Dexter Village is expected to pay about $302,000, Scio Township is expected to pay about $1.086 million and Webster Township’s portion is about $376,600.

A combined Dexter and Scio fire department could happen as early as 2012 under a proposed timetable approved by a committee of elected officials from Dexter Village and Dexter, Webster and Scio townships.

Lisa Allmendinger is a regional reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com. For more Dexter stories, visit our Dexter page.