Leroy Township will present voters with a five-year, 5.5-mill additional levy for fire and emergency medical services during the Nov. 4 general election.
The Lake County Auditor’s Office said that if approved, the levy would generate $1,011,705 per year and cost property owners $193 per $100,000 in appraised property valuation.
The Lake County Elections Board added that the levy would start in 2025 and first be due in 2026.
Township Fire Chief Mike Toman said that the department is facing cost increases that providers are attributing to the pandemic and tariffs.
“Everything’s just gone up in price over the last four years, and it’s making it hard to forecast our budget and keep up,” Toman said.
The department’s current equipment levy can no longer cover the costs of fire trucks and it will need to start using money from other areas of its budget to replace vehicles, he said. Vehicles that used to cost the department around $300,000 are now up to $1 million, while an ambulance that cost the department $186,000 now costs $348,000.
Even if the department gets a grant it is seeking to fund the replacement of a tanker with a failing engine, Toman said the department would possibly need to cover about $300,000.
If the levy is approved, he said it would fund the department’s day-to-day operations, including bills and payroll. The department would maintain its level of service and staffing, and it would also try to keep making improvements.
If the levy does not pass, Toman said the department would possibly need to consider staffing cuts.
“That would be the biggest cut, the biggest detriment, because we only have a duty crew of three,” he said. “If we have to go back down to two – it makes it hard working anything with two people, whether it’s an EMS call or fire.”
The department hopes that it will not need to ask for any other new levies in the next 10 years, though Toman added he cannot guarantee that because of difficulties forecasting the budget.
He said that anyone with questions can reach out to the fire department. Its phone number is 440-254-4124.
“We appreciate the support of the community that we’ve always had, and we hope to get their continued support,” he said
Info source News-Herald