Choosing a replacement of the 3.65-mill levy set to expire at the end of 2016 would - if approved - cost that same homeowner $15.97 cents more a year to help fund the district the township shares with Miamisburg, according to the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office.
Township Administrator Greg Rogers said he and fire district Chief Matthew Queen recommend seeking for a renewal. Queen indicated a defeat of a levy, which have been approved by voters every time they have been on the ballot this century, could lead to cuts in the district’s nearly $9 million budget.
“The importance of passage means that the fire department will continue to operate at the current level,” Queen said in an email Monday.
“Failure of a levy could potentially mean reducing/eliminating planned expenditures, reducing/eliminating some non-essential services or initiating a hiring freeze to help control costs,” he added.
A renewal would generate about $2,009,543 a year, about $5,600 less than a replacement, according to the auditor’s office.
The MVFD operations include five stations, five medic units, four engine companies and one ladder company, with combined staffing of 65 full- and part-time firefighters, according to Queen.
The fire district was formed in 2011 as a way for both jurisdictions to save money and avoid duplicating services.
The MVFD agreement calls for the township to fund about 60 percent of the budget because of the jurisdiction’s populations, Rogers has said.
The deadline to file to have an issue on the November ballot is Aug. 10, according to the board of elections
About the Author
