Proposed 5.2 mil Fire Levy
Public Informational MeetingsMonday, March 24th: 6:00pm in the Firehouse Equipment Bay at 2491 Walker Rd. |
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March 2025, To the Residents of Brown Township, On May 6, 2025, Brown Township voters will be asked to approve issue 15, a 5.2-mill permanent fire levy. Brown and Norwich Townships have an agreement stating that their residents will provide roughly equal levels of funding (mileage) rates for the Norwich Fire Department, which operates out of Station 82 on Walker Road, as well as other locations. The levy is the primary funding source for maintaining fire and emergency services in the township. Levy revenues are supplemented by EMS billing and grants but the property taxes raised through the levy provide the lion’s share of the department’s funding. Levy funding ensures the continued availability of fire suppression, emergency medical services (EMS), rescue operations, community outreach and education, and hazardous materials response. Without this funding, the township faces the risk of reduced services. |
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Over time, increasing costs outpace property tax revenue, which is basically held to the dollar amount it raised when the levy was voted in (2014 in this case). New development increases this amount, but it also increases costs. The department has felt the overall effects of inflation. The price of emergency vehicles and specialized equipment have been an especially hard hit. |
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Most importantly, the cost of recruiting and retaining qualified firefighter/paramedics has, and continues to, increase greatly in response to inflation, because of the increased competition for qualified personnel among fire departments throughout Central Ohio, and because development in the area requires increases in the number of personnel, as well as the amount of equipment. The Brown and Norwich Township trustees have agreed that it is time to secure an increased level of funding for the fire department. Following the approval of Norwich’s levy in March 2024, Brown Township is proposing this levy to secure its part of the additional revenue. The information above provided by the Brown Township Board of Trustees |
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* Median Home Value for Brown Twp. in 2024 was $416,700 according to the Franklin County Auditor Information Sources: Click HERE for information and eligibility for the Homestead Exemption. Click HERE to check the Auditor’s appraised value for your property. To calculate your proposed additional annual cost, use the following formula: Proposed Additional Annual Cost = (Your home’s Auditor’s Appraised Value) x 0.35 x 0.0052 |
Service area of each Norwich Township Fire Department station (Sta 84 opens June 2025).
