Jerome Township officials recently approved plans to place a new fire levy on the March ballot.
During Tuesday’s township trustees meeting, Fire Chief Douglas Stewart encouraged trustees to approve the placement of a 3.5 mills levy on the March ballot.
Stewart said the fire department currently receives funding from a 2.9 mills levy that was passed in 2011 and renewed in 2016.
However, after the development of a community driven strategic plan, he said he advised the board in summer 2019 of the need for an additional $2.3 million.
Without additional levy funding, even with grant money awarded, he said the department struggles to meet strategic goals.
He said some of the most pressing concerns revolve around the need to keep up with a growing community. With levy funding, Stewart said he plans to address inadequate response times, a lack of staffing and the need for a new facility.
Response travel time exceeds 10-12 minutes in some areas of the township, according to Stewart, while units are cross-staffed and generally understaffed. For that reason, he said the fire department relies heavily on mutual aid from other agencies.
“I know people want to see infrastructure, but we are infrastructure,” Stewart said.
Following the failure of a 5.5 mills levy on the November ballot, Stewart said he spoke with residents and consulted the strategic plan before deciding on the new number for March.
He said he hoped a 3.5 mills levy would strike a balance between an amount needed by the fire department and one residents would be willing to approve.
A 3.5 mills levy would generate approximately $1.4 million, compared to $1.9 million from the failed November levy, Stewart explained.
He explained that the proposed levy would cost homeowners $108 per $100,000 of valuation per year.
“Is it where we need to be? Absolutely not, but it gets us headed in the right direction,” he said.
Although the township was awarded the SAFER grant by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to fund the salaries and benefits of nine new firefighters for three years, Stewart said a minimum of 3.5 mills would be necessary to keep the positions in place.
“If we do nothing, we’re going to hire nine people and in three years we’re going to lay them off,” he said.
Even if a 3.5 mills levy passes, Stewart said the department is so underfunded that there will still be a need to renew the 2.9 mills in 2021.
Trustee Joe Craft focused on the need to garner some funding, rather than the funding the department actually needs.
“Us putting a levy on and failing is not an option,” he said.
Craft instead supported a 2.5 mills levy, which would generate $1.04 million. He said he felt that would be enough to support the positions initially funded by the SAFER grant, if not enough for the other needs of the department.
“A 2.5 (mills) is not enough – it’s not going to get us by,” Stewart responded.
Trustee C.J. Lovejoy agreed, arguing safety should be the highest priority in the township. He said he couldn’t support anything lower than a 3.5 mills levy because he felt it might result in staffing cuts.
“We cut staff, we’re cutting our throats at the end of the day,” Lovejoy said.
Trustee Ron Rhodes said he felt the fire department was always underfunded, but said he would support either of the other two trustees’ suggestion. Ultimately, he moved to approve a 3.5 mills levy.
The resolution was approved 2-1 with Craft opposing.
The 3.5 mills levy has been submitted to the Union County Board of Elections to be approved for the March ballot.