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Joint fire district seeks passage of 1-mill levy
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David Comstock
POLAND
Voters in the township and village will decide the fate of a 1-mill additional fire levy May 3.
The Western Reserve Joint Fire District Board of Trustees has approved a 1-mill additional, continuing levy for capital improvements. If approved by voters, the levy will generate about $350,000 annually and cost residents $30.62 annually for a home valued at $100,000, said Annette DiVito, a fire-district trustee and Poland Township trustee.
“This levy is for capital improvements,” DiVito said. “... We’ve been upgrading buildings and expanding them, and we want to continue that.”
The levy money would be used to repair and upgrade the three existing stations, expand stations to accommodate fire vehicles and purchase new fire engines, said Fire Chief David C. Comstock Jr.
“This is not for operating expenses. It will not be used for regular equipment or for personnel salaries. We will use the money to invest in our future,” Comstock said.
He noted that the district still uses fire engines from 1975, 1983 and 1992 that have been maintained. The average cost of a new fire engine is more than $400,000.
The last fire levy was for 1 mill and passed by voters in 1998.
In 1998, the fire district responded to 253 calls. Last year, that number was more than 850 with most being medical calls, Comstock said.
“We recognize there are people, such as seniors, on a fixed income, but that’s who takes up a lot of the medical calls,” he said.
“We need to make sure we’ll have the money over the next 15 or 20 years to deliver services. We view this as a structured way to plan for the future,” Comstock added.
The Western Reserve Joint Fire District serves Poland Township and Village. The district’s Board of Trustees is composed of Poland Township trustees and Village council members.