Renew Brownhelm Township fire levy

A small levy has an outsize impact on public safety in Brownhelm Township. The 2-mill levy, which is up for renewal March 19, generates around $124,000 annually and is devoted exclusively to paying for fire and emergency medical services in the township. "We wouldn't have fire protection without it," township Trustee Tom Rini told us. The township doesn't have its own fire department, instead contracting with three departments from neighboring communities for those services. The Florence Township Fire Department handles fire and EMS calls in the southwestern part of Brownhelm Township. The South Amherst Fire Department responds to calls in the rest of the southern part of the township, including on the Ohio Turnpike. The Vermilion Fire Department services the rest of the unincorporated parts of the township. The levy impacts only those who live in the unincorporated areas of the township. Those who live in the small portion of Brownhelm Township that falls within the city limits of Vermilion are covered by the city's Fire Department. They don't pay the levy and won't be able to vote on it, Lorain County Board of Elections Director Paul Adams told us. Debra Mastellone, the township's fiscal officer, told us that the contracts with the three fire departments vary in cost. Florence Township charges $15,000 per year, while South Amherst is on a three-year contract that costs just under $102,800. The township pays a portion of that bill quarterly. The cost of the Vermilion Fire Department's services in the unincorporated areas fluctuates because it is based on call volume. For example, the township will pay a little more than $18,400 this year to Vermilion for ambulance services provided by its contractor, LifeCare, Mastellone told us. The township paid a yearly bill of just over $45,000 in July for fire protection from Vermilion. The cost of the levy shouldn't be an undue burden on taxpayers. Were the renewal, identified on the ballot as Issue 18, to pass, the owner of a home valued at $100,000 would pay around $57 per year, according to county Auditor Craig Snodgrass' office. Before township voters first approved the levy in 2014, the township had paid for fire and EMS services out of its general fund, township officials told us in 2019, when more than 88 percent of voters approved renewing it. "It's just such an important levy," Mastellone told us. We agree and hope to see similar support in March for Issue 18.