Issue 6: Litchfield Township to have renewal fire and EMS levy on general election ballot

LITCHFIELD TWP. — As part of the November election, Litchfield Township residents will vote on a renewal levy to fund fire and EMS services within the township. Issue 6 is a 3.2-mill renewal fire and EMS levy that would last five years. If it passes, it would bring in $273,000 in funding annually, and Litchfield residents would pay $72 a year per $100,000 in home value. Litchfield Fire Chief Jason Davis said this is the department's only levy, so all the department's funds come from it. "Ten years ago, we used to have a separate EMS, fire levy and truck levy," he said. "We combined them all into a single levy because that way it allowed the funds to be more universally distributed as needed." Funding from the levy pays for the general operations of the department, Davis said. Usage of the funds ranges from paying members to buying and replacing equipment and turnout gear. "(The National Fire Protection Agency) has strict replacement guidelines like for turnout gear that fire department members wear to do structural firefighting," he said. "It doesn't matter if that's been used once in a fire in 10 years, you'd have to replace it, so that adds a lot of cost for replacement of equipment." It is important for residents to know that because the levy is a renewal, it will not increase taxes if it passes, Davis said. "There's no new taxes because I know everybody's budgets are tight with inflation," he said. "We're trying to stretch every dollar, so that we can continue to still operate on the same budget that we have been for 10 plus years now." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.