Fire levy on ballot in Harmony Twp.

When Big Walnut Fire Chief Ben Lovell talks about the 2.5-mill fire levy on the Nov. 5 ballot in Harmony Township, his primary concern is for 24/7 full coverage and improving response times in his district. He is hopeful the levy will pass to allow two firefighters/EMTs to be hired for duty in the fire district around the clock.

Lovell explained that Harmony Township pays for fire protection from the Big Walnut Joint Fire District (BWJFD). The fire district is now made up of Marengo, Chesterville, Bennington and Chester Township, who pay 4.5 millage in tax for fire services. Harmony has two 1-mill fire levies at this time for a total of 2 mills. The fire district is asking for Harmony to pay a similar amount to the other townships and villages for their coverage.

In August, Harmony had the highest fire/rescue call volume of all five municipalities in the fire district. Lovell began to raise the alarm in February 2023 after a fatal fire in Harmony. It took 19 minutes for firefighters from Cardington to arrive after the 911 call, and Lovell was the only firefighter available from BWJFD for the first 25 minutes.

Lovell said the main use of the money raised by the levy will be for two additional staff to be on duty 24/7 in the fire district. Currently, BWJFD has three firefighters on duty in Marengo from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. After 5 p.m., the district relies on members to volunteer to come in for emergency calls. Lovell said the problem isn’t the number of members they have on the roster, it’s the availability of those members after hours from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. If BWJFD firefighters aren’t available, they rely on other fire departments for aid who are 10-15 minutes farther away from most of the fire district. The goal is to lower the response times within the fire district to eight minutes, rather than the current 23 minutes between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.

The present fire fund provided by the 2 mills in Harmony Township has a total revenue of $81,675 per year. The estimate with the 2.5-mill levy projects a total of $256,918 from tax collections annually. The cost for two additional employees is $292,334. This additional 2.5 levy will make it possible to employ the two fire fighters/EMTs needed. The new levy would cost Harmony taxpayers $87.50 per $100,000 property value.

Lovell said the levy is not about keeping fire/rescue services for Harmony. The Harmony Township trustees have already signed a fire protection agreement with Big Walnut which will be through 2029. However, the passing of the levy will mean that firefighters will be getting to the scene much faster than they do now after 11 p.m.

Questions have been raised about the new fire station in Chesterville, which is a part of the Big Walnut Joint Fire District. To help offset the cost to local taxpayers, the BWJFD applied for a 55% in a congressionally directed spending request through U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office in the spring of 2023. Brown called Lovell personally to give him the news they would receive the grant. This spring, BWJFD received $1,320,000 to pay for the new station. The remaining 45% will be paid from the funds financed by the USDA.

The new fire station, projected to be completed in March 2025, will have five bays, bunkrooms, a kitchen, a tornado shelter, and a community room that can accommodate 48 people. BWJFD also is expecting a refurbished tanker truck to be delivered soon that will replace three aged fire trucks which had to be decommissioned. The tanker cost $351,692.

Budget and levy fact questions can be directed to the BWJFD via email at [email protected], on its Facebook page or its website at www.bwjfd.org. Harmony Township Board of Trustees meetings are on the first Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Harmony Township Hall. BWJFD board meetings are the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Marengo firehouse. Meetings are open to the public.

Alberta Stojkovic is a correspondent for The Morrow County Sentinel. She can be reached at [email protected].