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Volunteer firefighter shortage
Summary: Volunteer fire departments are struggling to recruit new firefighters, as stricter training requirements, coupled with market factors and changing family dynamics mean fewer people are choosing to volunteer their time with the fire service.
• Driving the trend: Local fire officials say one major factor is the high cost of training and equipment, followed by very little or no pay for volunteers.
• Changing job: Volunteer firefighters spend way more time responding to EMS calls then actual fires, which creates additional training issues for departments.
• Key quote: “That was another challenge that departments were facing is, ‘Hey, we’d love to have you, but we don’t have the money to pay for your training. And we don’t have the money to buy you the gear you need to protect yourself. So yes, please come volunteer with us, but go spend $1,000 to come to a job that’s not going to pay you anything back, and you might die,” said Cedarville’s fire chief.
• What’s being done: The Ohio Fire Marshall and others are looking into reducing training costs and other measures to bolster volunteer firefighter ranks.
• A reporter’s perspective: Reporter London Bishop rode along with the Beavercreek Twp. fire department to learn more about what they do. Read about what she learned in today’s ePaper.
Efforts to stem massive property tax hikes
Background: Local counties including Montgomery, Greene and Butler are conducting mandated property value updates this year, which will impact how much people will pay in property taxes. But recent skyrocketing home values are leading to historic projected increases in property values and taxes.
• What’s being done: An effort that grew out of Butler County led the Ohio House of Representatives last week to pass House Bill 187, a proposal to change how property taxes are calculated.
• The numbers: If nothing changes, taxable values are expected to increase 37% in Butler County, 34% in Montgomery County and 29% in Greene County. If HB 187 passes, those numbers would be 25% in Butler and Montgomery counties, and 22% in Greene County.
• Concerns: This change would reduce tax revenues for local governments and schools by $539 million. Those raising concerns include Democrats, and county auditors who want a longer-term fix.
• When will you see changes?: HB 187 backers blame opponents for slowing down the legislative process so the measure couldn’t get passed in time to impact first half tax bills next year. There are proposals on the table to offer tax credits to fix that.
• What happens next: HB 187 now has to go through the Senate and get a signature from the governor. Neither of those measures are guaranteed.
Are there school levies on your ballot?
Election 2023: Our coverage of the November election is well underway, with recent stories looking at the Dayton Public Schools board race, and the race for Miami Twp. leaders. You can see all of our election coverage here, or use our Voter Guide to compare candidates in contested races in your area.
• School levies: There are nine school levies on the ballot in the region, including Beavercreek, Centerville, Greeneview, Milton-Union, Northmont, Oakwood, Troy, Vandalia and Yellow Springs.