Liberty Twp. fire levy timing uncertain

Liberty Twp. voters may not see a fire levy until May 2018 so the new fire chief can be involved.

The township’s 2017 fire budget will go from $6 million next year to $8.8 million in 2019 — the amount includes a new fire truck and more staff — and will stay in the $8.5 million range for the foreseeable future.

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“I know I’m putting a lot of pressure on a person we haven’t even hired yet, but this is a large number of our budget and it is only going up,” Trustee Tom Farrell said. “I would like to delay (the fire levy) until May.”

Fire Chief Paul Stumpf announced his retirement last September, a year in advance, and the trustees want the new chief to have time with Stumpf to get acclimated. The job listing is set to go out March 1.

Trustee Board President Christine Matacic said she wasn’t ready to make the move on putting the levy on the ballot until their finance committee can take another look at the numbers.

“I’d like to see some additional figures and have our finance committee look it over before I make that decision,” Matacic said. “I’m not adverse to postponing it if it’s necessary, but at the same time I also don’t want to leave our residents without protection.”

Farrell said his plan is to cut $120,000 — the projected fire fund deficit — out of the 2018 budget so there will be no concerns the residents will lack proper fire and EMS services. He was fine with letting the finance committee take another look at the numbers but he remains adamant the new chief is the most important cog in the levy equation.

“I have a real hard time approving a levy in November without the new chief in place to weigh in on it, period, end of story,” he said. “I don’t care how many experts we have, that is the person that’s inheriting this budget. That is the person that has to execute this budget, a budget that’s going up 41 percent. I think it’s irresponsible to put a levy on our residents until we have an opportunity for this person to weigh in on the expenses in this budget over the next five to ten years.”

RELATED: Trustees differ on timing of fire levy

The township would need to make a decision by June — the final deadline is in August — in order to put a levy on the November ballot this year. Matacic also noted that waiting could reduce the amount of the levy.

“If we do it this year versus next year, next year we’ll have higher valuation because of the new growth, than we would get this year,” she said. “So it could mean a smaller levy if we waited, possibly.”

The township has quadrupled in two decades, now standing at about 40,000 residents and home to Liberty Center, the huge new $350 million mixed-use development.

The trustees started talking levy last June and did get information from the county auditor’s office on how much a 3, 3.5 and 4 mill levy would collect and cost the owner of a $100,000 home.

Numbers from the auditor’s office revealed a 3-mill levy would garner $1.7 million in additional funds and cost $105; 3.5 mills would pull in $2.9 million and cost $122; and a 4-mill levy would result in $3.4 million in new money and cost $140.

The township pulled back from putting a levy request on the Nov. 8 ballot because they said they needed to do their due diligence with numbers from the auditor.

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