Whether a renewal or a replacement will be sought will depend on information from the county, officials said.
The levy, which expires at the end of this year, generates about $2.3 million a year and is one of two primary funding sources for township fire services. The other is a 3.5-mill renewal levy that raises about $2.1 million a year.
Both have been five-year issues that have been handily approved by voters a combined five times this century, according to the county board of elections’ website.
Township Trustee Andrew Papanek, vice president of fire district’s board of trustees, said the levy must return to the ballot.
“It’s very valuable because the township has always funded the fire department out of the levy,” he said, noting that “it has to remain in force and intact.”
The fire district was formed in 2011 as a way for both jurisdictions to save money and avoid duplicating services. It is projected to have about $8.82 million in revenues this year, records show.
The fire district agreement calls for the township to fund about 60 percent the budget because of the jurisdiction’s populations, said township Administrator Greg Rogers.
The expiring levy is “extremely important,” he said.
The current levy has helped finance MVFD operations, which includes five medic units, four engine companies and one ladder company, with combined staffing of 65 full- and part-time firefighters, according to Fire Chief Matthew Queen.
A decision on the levy going on the ballot will likely be on the trustees’ agenda, Rogers said. The deadline to file to have an issue on the November ballot is Aug. 10, according to the board of elections.
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