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Girard and Liberty fire renewals pass
By Joe Gorman
WARREN
Fire-levy renewals in Girard and Liberty and a renewal plus additional millage levy for the Niles McKinley Memorial Library passing handily Tuesday.
Unofficial election-night results in Liberty show the fire levy garnered 74.39 percent of the vote. The renewal will generate about $314,494 a year and is used for the day-to-day operations of the department.
Township Administrator Pat Ungaro said the wide margin of victory speaks for the service the department provides.
“The fire department gets involved,” Ungaro said. “We try to do the job every day by communicating with the community.”
Ungaro said although renewals typically pass, the department took nothing for granted this time. He said people are happy with the free ambulance service and the people appreciate the work they do.
Girard’s fire renewal was first passed in 2004 and is for five years. It generates $335,436 a year and is used for day-to-day operations also.
Unofficial results show the renewal in Girard attracted 80.43 percent of voters approving the measure. Mayor James Melfi said the 12 members of the department and the chief worked hard to get the renewal passed, at one point running out of yard signs.
He said the overwhelming support shows the work they do is appreciated by the residents of the city.
“They’re happy with the fire department’s service and organization,” Melfi said.
The 1.75-mill continuous levy for the McKinley Memorial Library in Niles will replace a 1.5-mill levy that was approved in 2010. That levy was expected to generate $397,000 per year but only brings in about $340,000. The new levy is expected to generate $400,000 and makes up almost 30 percent of the library’s yearly budget.
Unofficial results show the library measure received 66.90 percent of the vote. Patrick Finan, the head of the library, said voters across the state generally support their libraries and that is especially true in Niles, where he said people treat the library, which is housed in the museum honoring former President William McKinley, as a source of pride.
“We’re very grateful to the residents of the Niles school district for the vote of confidence in the McKinley Memorial Library,” Finan said.