MILLBURY — Lake Township, with the assistance of the new levy, may continue to go it alone for fire operations.
The idea of a regional department — combining with Rossford and Northwood — is still being considered, but it may take years to come to fruition, said Lake Township Police Chief Mark Hummer.
At Tuesday’s Lake Township Trustees meeting, Hummer, who is also the township administrator, proposed a 4.2-mill levy to possibly go on the November ballot, to immediately boost fire operations.
“A tax increase would put us in a better position to serve our residents,” Hummer said.
According to the Wood County Auditor’s Office, an additional 4.2-mill levy would raise $1.2 million and cost the owner of a $100,000 home $147 per year.
“One thing is abundantly clear, a process that is going to involve other political entities … is going to be a very cumbersome and large project,” he said.
Hummer said he believes in regionalization — ideally creating a Wood County fire department.
“But right now our need is immediate,” he said. “We need to do something now for our residents.”
The fire department right now is being pushed to its limit with available personnel, Hummer said.
The ideal scenario is four full-time people on staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“And that’s not free,” Hummer said.
The regional idea isn’t dead, Hummer said.
“If something comes down the road later that we want to explore … we should certainly start looking for a county-wide or regional solution,” he said. “But until that time, we need to do something now.”
The township, Northwood and Rossford commissioned a study last year to look into combining fire and EMS operations.
According to the study, which was released earlier this year, Lake Township has 54 personnel, with some full-time positions and mostly paid-on-call workers.
The 2022 operating budget was $1.5 million. It is funded with four tax levies that total 4.8 mills.
Over the past eight years, there has been a 72% increase in calls.
The township had 1,608 calls in 2021. The township’s population is 15,544, including Millbury and Walbridge. The area served is 34.8 square miles.
If the three departments combined, service would be better but costs will increase, the study concluded.
The study gave an example of what a possible levy increase would look like to fund a regional department. If a new fire and EMS district is formed and an 8.5-mill levy is passed, the property owner in Rossford will pay 4.7 mills more than the current 2.8 mills. Property owners in Lake Township will pay 3.7 mills more than the current 4.8 mills.
Hummer said he is a proponent of a county-wide EMS funded by sales tax.
It would act as a buffer for the more urbanized areas and a primary for the rural areas, he said.
“That cost of that service would be born not only by our residents who purchase goods and services here, but would be paid by the people who travel through our county,” Hummer said.
After the meeting, Trustee Chairman Ken Gilsdorf said that Lake Township fire should be staffed with 15 people to fully handle the volume of calls. The average staffing is eight, he said.
Gilsdorf described a harrowing scene that led to this levy conversation.
On March 3, several area departments, including Lake Township, responded to a Rossford fire. At the same time, there was a crash on Interstate 280, with a woman thrown out of a vehicle. There wasn’t an ambulance available, Gilsdorf said.
“They were going to put her in a car … that’s how bad it was,” he said.
Trustee Richard Welling said the levy would fund hiring four full-time staff for the fire department. “Volunteers,” who are paid per run, would continue to round out the department.
Welling said that the department is capable of handling one call.
“But they have like three runs, one after the other, after the other. And after a while, it just burns your people out,” he said. “We need to add some additional people full time, to back up the volunteers.”
Trustee Lorie Davis said the township taxpayers will “absolutely” support a fire levy.
“I feel these residents will take care of themselves,” she said.
A levy decision is expected before Aug. 1.
Also at the meeting, the trustees:
• Increased the pay to the zoning inspector to $21 an hour in the year 2023, $22 per hour in 2024 and $23 per hour in 2025. The will bring Mike Hossler up to the salary of his peers in the area, Hummer said.
• Paid $14,110 to Stryker, based in Portage, Michigan, for the annual preventative maintenance for the fire department’s cots and cardiac monitors.
• Hired Quinn Concrete Construction, Toledo, for $32,356 to install walk ramps and detectable warning devices prior to any resurfacing in the Red Bud and Cedar Valley subdivisions.
• Purchased 135 tons of deicing salt from Cargill Inc., North Olmsted, for $7,500.
• Hired Superior Seamless Gutters LLC, Toledo, for $2,895 to install gutters and downspouts on the road department storage building.
• Accepted the resignation of Natalie Kowalka, a part-time firefighter/EMT. Fire Chief Barrett Dorner said there should be three new hires at the next meeting.
