Ross Twp. fire levy fails: ‘This will change the trajectory we head in,’ chief says

“This will change the trajectory we head in,’’ said fire Chief Christopher Johns.

Trustee Keith Ballauer said the board would discuss the results and next steps at Thursday’s trustees’ meeting.

Had the levy passed, it would have raised about $2.1 million annually and replaced two existing 5-year levies totaling 5.75 mills that together brought in $1.1 million, said Julie Joyce-Smith, the township’s fiscal officer. Trustees previously said they would rescind those levies had the new one passed.

The tax increase to voters with approval of the levy would have been only be .75-mills once the two existing levies were rescinded, Joyce-Smith said. The tax on a $100,000 home would have increased from $102.50 annually to $227.50 annually.

That money, if approved, would have kept the department in the black, pay for the hiring of one or two fulltime firefighters next year, and be used to replace aging equipment as needed.

By year’s end, the fire department will have spent its carryover balance and faces a $200,000 deficit by the end of 2026 without extra dollars, Joyce-Smith said.

Two extra fulltime firefighters would have allowed two career firefighters to be assigned to each shift. Currently, there are four fulltime firefighters plus the chief along with 40 part-time firefighters to staff its two stations.

Johns said it is sometimes difficult to fill shifts with part-time staff, 80 percent of whom have fulltime firefighter positions in other jurisdictions. Often, Johns said, part-time firefighters cancel their shifts if their fulltime jobs need them.

At the same time the department is having staffing issues, calls for service are increasing.

Calls went from 1,278 in 2023 to 1,497 last year. By mid-September last year, the department had responded to 984 calls for service. This year at the same time the department responded to 1,110 calls.

The additional money from the levy will also have helped pay for replacement of an ambulance next year and an aging pumper down the road. Stretchers in three ambulances also need to be replaced.