Following the second consecutive failure of a fire levy, Jerome Township officials are searching for ways to move forward.
Although election results will not be official until May 12, Jerome Township Fire Chief Douglas Stewart said he finds it “hard to believe” the ballots that have not yet been counted will be enough to overcome the current deficit.
“We’re still hopeful, but not confident,” the levy will pass, he said.
Information from the Union County Board of Elections indicated the decision was split by 115 votes, with 54% of voters against the 3.5 mill, five-year fire and EMS operating levy.
With input from the community, Stewart said the Jerome Township Division of Fire created a strategic plan in summer 2019.
According to needs outlined in the plan – such as inadequate response times and staffing – the township placed a 5.5 mill levy on the November 2019 ballot, which failed.
Township officials agreed to drop the levy to 3.5 mill on the March ballot. If it passed, they agreed to stop collecting the 1991, 2.3 mill levy. Even so, it appears that it has failed as well.
Now, Stewart said “the fire division sits at a crossroad” as it is required to provide high-quality service but is restrained by insufficient funding.
Until the fire division was awarded the SAFER grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency late last year, Stewart said it was operating at the same staffing levels as it was 20 years ago.
Trustee Megan Sloat noted how much development has occurred during that time period, adding, “that is sobering when you think about it.”
Stewart said short staffing has led to response times that exceed 10 to 12 minutes in some areas of the township.
“Without the fire levy, lives are at stake,” he said.
Trustee C.J. Lovejoy agreed that families should be concerned about the current response times.
“The last thing I want to see is something happen to one of my kids and you guys are 10 minutes away,” he said. “That’s not going to work for my family.”
Trustee Joe Craft also noted that the township fire division was founded with a 12.3 mill levy, meaning it is currently operating on less than half of the millage it started with.
“We’ve got an obligation to fun this fire department and we’ve got to get this 51%,” Craft said.
Moving forward, Stewart requested the trustees schedule an open, public planning meeting to discuss a levy for the November ballot.
The trustees agreed. Lovejoy said they need to specifically discuss how to get community members involved in the process and informed.
“The community’s going to pay what they think the fire department is worth,” he said.
Craft echoed his sentiment. He said he felt Stewart and the firefighters have worked “tirelessly” to advocate for the levy and wondered what else could be done.
“It just seems like to get anything done, it takes a tragedy and I don’t want it to come to that,” Craft said.
He added, “I’m kind of at a loss. I just don’t know what to do.”
Sloat said it is especially “daunting” because the ability to do community outreach could be limited by COVID-19 concerns, even through the fall.
Holding an in-person meeting regarding the levy could also be difficult due to constraints on large gatherings, she said.
To mitigate large groups, each trustee said they would be willing to meet with residents individually to answer questions or do so virtually.
Since there is uncertainty as to when public gatherings will be permitted, Craft asked Stewart to talk with the township’s IT services provider to discuss the possibility of livestreaming a levy planning meeting.
Craft said the trustees will plan to decide on a date and format for the meeting at the next meeting.
In other business:
– Council voted unanimously to rescind an April resolution that would initiate amendments to the zoning map regarding the New California Planned Development District.
Following an opinion from the township’s legal counsel, Zoning Inspector Eric Snowden said there is a provision in Ohio Revised Code that says planned development applications must come from the property owner, not the township.
He said the property owner, Allen Shepherd, had no issue with rescinding the previous resolution. Snowden said it would “add clarity” and “assuage any concerns” from property owners or developers.
Trustees also voted unanimously to direct Snowden to keep all documents regarding the New California Planned Development District zoning on file, as well as file them with the Logan-Union-Champaign County Regional Planning Commission.
– Stewart said all equipment to begin livestreaming township meetings arrived, except for the cables.
He said they are set to arrive today, but could be delayed because of shipping issues during the pandemic.
Once the cables arrive, Stewart said eGreen Computers of Dublin will begin installation.