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Coventry, Ohio —
Coventry Fire and EMS Department is seeking a 2.25-mill operating levy renewal on the Nov. 6 ballot as Issue 56.
Interim Fire Chief John Dolensky said this levy was approved by voters in 2009 as a five-year renewal which will be up this year.
According to Dolensky, the levy provides approximately 25 percent of operating costs to the department that funds additional support for salaries, benefits, vehicle equipment and repairs, training and building maintenance, among other things, making it imperative to the division.
“I’m going to have to make cuts even if this passes,” Dolensky said. “We’re going to try to squeeze years out of equipment. I am going to have to do things to get further funding, or I’m going to have to make cuts, including firefighters.”
Dolensky said the department has been operating on a tight budget already, relying on grant money and support from the township’s General Fund. A flyer on the department’s Web site outlined the department’s various funding sources, including the General Fund.
“Due to serious declining revenues in our General Fund, we will be forced to eliminate this support in the near future,” the flyer read.
The department has also implemented various cost-saving measures in recent years, including a consolidation of dispatch services and resident ambulance fees. Currently, if a resident calls dispatch with an emergency, they will be directed to Green’s emergency department. Dolensky said the department has also been supplemented by ambulance fees since 2000 which are typically paid for by insurance.
“That will still be in place, but that’s a reduction because a lot of people are getting laid off,” Dolensky said. “The township has a position that if they have a hardship or no insurance, they forgive that debt.”
Since 2005, the department has received nearly $600,000 in grant money for training and additional staffing. Dolensky said those funds have allotted them one extra firefighter, but that the grant money will expire in May.
The fire chief stressed that the levy is not a tax increase, but a renewal. The department could use more funding, but Dolensky said the anti-tax sentiment in voters would have been an overreach for the department.
“Right now, this levy is not a tax increase, it’s what we’ve been paying for the past five years,” Dolensky said.
The millage on the levy means that for every $100 of valuation, a resident would pay 22.5 cents for five years. For each $100,000 of valuation, a resident would pay $225 annually — the same rate they are currently paying. Dolensky said that number is far higher than what it will cost in reality, though.
Coventry Fire and EMS Department is seeking a 2.25-mill operating levy renewal on the Nov. 6 ballot as Issue 56.
Interim Fire Chief John Dolensky said this levy was approved by voters in 2009 as a five-year renewal which will be up this year.
According to Dolensky, the levy provides approximately 25 percent of operating costs to the department that funds additional support for salaries, benefits, vehicle equipment and repairs, training and building maintenance, among other things, making it imperative to the division.
“I’m going to have to make cuts even if this passes,” Dolensky said. “We’re going to try to squeeze years out of equipment. I am going to have to do things to get further funding, or I’m going to have to make cuts, including firefighters.”
Dolensky said the department has been operating on a tight budget already, relying on grant money and support from the township’s General Fund. A flyer on the department’s Web site outlined the department’s various funding sources, including the General Fund.
“Due to serious declining revenues in our General Fund, we will be forced to eliminate this support in the near future,” the flyer read.
The department has also implemented various cost-saving measures in recent years, including a consolidation of dispatch services and resident ambulance fees. Currently, if a resident calls dispatch with an emergency, they will be directed to Green’s emergency department. Dolensky said the department has also been supplemented by ambulance fees since 2000 which are typically paid for by insurance.
“That will still be in place, but that’s a reduction because a lot of people are getting laid off,” Dolensky said. “The township has a position that if they have a hardship or no insurance, they forgive that debt.”
Since 2005, the department has received nearly $600,000 in grant money for training and additional staffing. Dolensky said those funds have allotted them one extra firefighter, but that the grant money will expire in May.
The fire chief stressed that the levy is not a tax increase, but a renewal. The department could use more funding, but Dolensky said the anti-tax sentiment in voters would have been an overreach for the department.
“Right now, this levy is not a tax increase, it’s what we’ve been paying for the past five years,” Dolensky said.
The millage on the levy means that for every $100 of valuation, a resident would pay 22.5 cents for five years. For each $100,000 of valuation, a resident would pay $225 annually — the same rate they are currently paying. Dolensky said that number is far higher than what it will cost in reality, though.
“If you own a $100,000 house, it’s likely valued around $30,000, so you’re only taxed around $30,000,” Dolensky said. “It actually comes down to something like $68 a year.”
The interim chief said the money is needed to continue at the level of service the department provides.
“We’re doing a lot of good things here, and we want to keep those good things going,” Dolensky said. “That includes services, plus things like inspections and educational programs. For the community, it’s a win-win.”
For more information on the fire and EMS levy, contact the Coventry Fire Department at 330-644-2520 or the township financial office at 330-644-0785.
