HOWLAND Trustees hire company to probe calculation of fire, police levies

The amount generated by the departments' levies dropped about $10,000 last year.
HOWLAND -- Township trustees have hired a Columbus company to review if the police and fire departments are getting what's coming to them.
For a $3,000 fee, the Ohio Government Financial Management Co. will review if the state Department of Taxation correctly calculated the township's fire and police levies.
Trustees are concerned because the amount generated by the levies dropped about $10,000 last year, said township administrator John Emanuel.
"After 10 consecutive years of increase, we wanted to see what happened," he said.
Laws prohibit voted levies from collecting more money as a result of a general increase in property values; however, a levy will raise additional funds from new construction. Delinquencies also come into the mix, making the matter of calculating levies quite complex, Emanuel said.
The company hired by trustees is "expert in doing this," he said. "They have found us money in the past."
Other business: Trustees also voted to contribute $47,000 to the Golden Triangle sewer project, which will serve six businesses in the area of Phoenix Street and Commonwealth Road.
The contribution to the sewer line project represents 5 percent of the total cost and half of a local match required for large grant.
Trustees also voted to replace two fire department ambulances with new models, at a cost of $99,050 for the pair, and awarded a $247,059 contract to Diorio Paving of Hubbard to pave 4.8 miles of road this summer.