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New 2.5-mill fire levy on ballot for Weathersfield Township
By Mary Smith
MINERAL RIDGE
Weathersfield Township voters will see a fire levy on the May primary ballot.
Trustees on Thursday agreed to place the 2.5-mill continuous fire levy on the ballot. It will generate $346,811 a year.
If the levy, to be used strictly for the fire department, is approved, three current fire levies totaling 2.7 mills and which generate an estimated $170,937 annually will be eliminated.
The millage amounts for the old levies have been reduced to make the effective rate that is needed to generate the original dollar amounts presented to voters, township Administrator David Rouan explained.
The current levies are a 0.7-mill levy first passed in 1983; a 1-mill levy first passed in 1984; and a 1-mill levy originally passed in 1986.
Trustee chairman Gil Blair said if the levy fails, the trustees would have to consider some cuts in fire-department operations.
He said the plan for the new levy is to operate the department, noting that the funds raised from the three current fire levies will not be enough to meet the department’s needs.
Blair said trustees don’t want to let fire equipment go without maintenance.
He noted that failure to maintain equipment is not safe for the firefighters or the community.
He added that failing to maintain equipment can also affect the Independent Standards Organization rating, which can have an effect on insurance rates if a poor rating is received.
If the new levy does not pass, the current levies will remain in place, he said.
Last November, voters rejected a 1.75-mill, five-year levy for all township departments that would have generated $225,000 annually.
Trustees also approved a 2013 operating budget of $3.015 million. The budget is $117,000 less than last year’s spending plan after trustees made across-the-board cuts.