ROSSFORD, Ohio — It's been 37 years since Rossford residents have had to pay more money for their fire department.
But in about a month they will vote on two levy requests for a total of about $440,000 dollars.
It's a growing community new schools, businesses and more. As the city expands, the fire department hasn't. They are still operating on the same amount of funds, but now are making more runs than ever.
"Our busiest year was last year,” explained Chief Josh Drouard, Rossford Fire Department. “We did 1,092 (runs) we're on pace for that similar number this year, but again we're doing this all on some tax dollars that have never been renewed or updated since its inception."
That's why neighbors in Rossford will vote on two levy's November 5. A 1.0 mil for staffing and 2.8 mills for capital improvements. Only about 2.2 mills of the capital improvement is new money for taxpayers. With the additional funds the department hopes to get a new fire engine and protective gear for their firefighters.
"We're doing more with less for a long time and we need to have these upgrades to keep our people safe, keep our community safe, and provide a better service to our town," said Chief Drouard.
There’s an engine that’s sat behind the department unusable collecting spider webs for about a year.
Fire officials said it was taken out of service because of a crack in the frame. They say to repair the known issues it would cost about $60,000, but more maintenance could be needed upon another inspection. Rather than place a band-aid on an already 21-year-old engine, the department would like to buy a new truck, which is estimated at anywhere from $554,000 to $620,000. That’s something the department cannot afford on their current budget.
"We can't begin to express how important it is to have reliable working fire apparatus,” explained the Chief. “We do get more than one call at a time sometimes and again it's a way we can help deliver service. "
If both issues pass it would cost the average homeowner of a $100,000 home, about $11 a month. If it doesn’t pass Rossford’s Fire Chief said their operations would have to change.
"We cannot sustain this for much longer, no," said Drouard.
Some neighbors in Rossford Thursday said they were unaware of the levy, but there is an informational meeting planned for October 24 at IBEW at 7:00 p.m.