Craig Beach to put fire levy on ballot

CRAIG BEACH -- Village council passed a resolution Tuesday to place a five-year, 1.5-mill fire levy on the Nov. 2 ballot.
The levy would raise about $20,000 annually for the Craig Beach Volunteer Fire Department, to be used for fire protection and equipment, Mayor Larry Ellis said. A person living in a $100,000 home would pay an additional $50 in taxes each year.
In other business, the village was awarded $88,000 in state money that will be used to add storm sewers and make road improvements to Denver Drive, Ellis said. He predicted that work would begin in spring 2005.
Ellis said that the village has come up with money to raze four condemned houses -- two on Glenwood Avenue and one each on Wick Avenue and Craig Drive -- although he was unable to provide a cost estimate for the work. The plan to tear down the houses is in its beginning stages, and recently the police and fire chiefs, as well as the zoning inspector, had been inspecting the sites, Ellis said.
In recent years, nearby residents have been complaining about seeing rodents in the homes, Ellis noted. He added that the homes are about 30 years old and have been vacant for several years.