Mantua – At their last meeting, Fire Board members unanimously passed a Resolution of Necessity, allowing Fiscal Officer Ashlee Hawkins to submit the required paperwork to the Board of Elections in time to permit a Fire Levy Replacement on the ballot for voters within the Fire District as early as March 2020.
According to Fire Chief Matt Roosa, the levy under discussion is approximately 20 years old. It was last replaced in 2000, and raised roughly $423,000. The proposed replacement 2.25 mil levy will generate an estimated $601,000; the funds would be used for operating and staffing.
The proposed increase in funding will aid the Department in attracting qualified part-time employees, who, according to Chief Roosa, are more challenging to find. He noted factors that affect this shortage include potential employees hiring on in larger communities that provide higher wages as well as the general decline of individuals pursuing careers in public services including fire and law enforcement. According to Chief Roosa, if approved, the levy funds would be used to hire full-time employees, “to ensure we’ve got people here to handle emergencies.”
For clarification, the Chief noted that the MSFD is funded by three levies: Capital Equipment, which is used to purchase equipment, EMS, and Fire. He thanked voters for approving the Capital Equipment levy last November. He noted that the Fire Station Bond will expire in 2021, saving taxpayers $32.76 per $100,000 per year. He encouraged homeowners to visit the Portage County Auditor’s website (portagecountyauditor.org) to use the Portage County Tax Estimator to determine what the replacement levy will cost their family.
The next regularly scheduled Fire Board meeting will be held on Monday, January 13th at 6 pm at the station; residents are encouraged to attend.
