Pass levy that funds Wellington Community Fire District

There's a reason that fire departments are often compared to insurance policies. Both are usually at the back of mind until you need them, when you want the best that you can get. We were reminded of that comparison this week when we talked to Wellington Fire Chief Mike Wetherbee about the property tax levy that funds his department. "It's a really inexpensive insurance policy, and you can use as much as you need to," he said of the department. (Wetherbee and an assistant chief are the only full-time employees among the department's 31 members, the rest of whom are paid by the call.) Wetherbee was right about that, which is why voters served by the Wellington Community Fire District should cast their ballots in favor of Issue 21, a replacement levy with a decrease in millage. The levy currently sits at 2.75 mills, but it is taking in money as if it were still 2020, when voters last approved replacing the levy. Under the arcane rules that govern property tax levies, a levy collects the same amount of money approved by voters, but the effective millage rate drops as the years wear on. When voters replace a levy, it generates additional funds because it reflects current property values and recent growth. That helps political entities keep up with rising costs. Wetherbee said the levy would generate too much money if it were simply replaced again this year. That's why, if voters approve Issue 21, the millage would decrease to 2.5 mills. The new levy would still generate enough money — nearly $1.4 million annually — to fund the department while allowing it to save up for expensive capital expenditures like fire trucks, the cost of which can run into the millions of dollars. (The department currently brings in almost $1.1 million annually.) Wetherbee told us that the department's operating budget is roughly $900,000 per year, with the remainder being set aside to pay for equipment and other capital expenses. He said the department expected to take delivery on a new fire engine in a few months, but it needed to save up to refurbish its ladder truck in a few years. He said a new ladder truck would cost more than $2 million, so the department planned to update its current truck. Even that will likely run between $600,000 and $700,000. The department also needs to save funds to buy new turnout gear for its members in a few years, Wetherbee said. The cost of outfitting all the firefighters will run around $100,000. In order words, the levy will generate more money than the department spends in a year, but by saving up for big-ticket items, it can avoid going back to voters to ask for an additional equipment levy. It also allows the department to avoid billing those who need its services, as some other departments do, to make ends meet. The department has seen the number of calls its members go on rise in recent years. For example, Wetherbee told us the department went on 517 calls in 2021, 630 calls in 2022, 577 calls in 2023 and 605 calls in 2024. That's in part because of the sheer size of the area served by the Wellington Fire Department, which spans 125 square miles and includes the village of Wellington as well as the townships of Brighton, Huntington, Penfield, Pittsfield and Wellington. It also assists the South Lorain County Ambulance District and the Central Lorain County Ambulance District with their emergency medical response calls, according to Wetherbee. The owner of a home valued at $100,000 currently pays around $63 per year for the fire levy, according to county Auditor Craig Snodgrass' office. That would grow by about $25 per year were Issue 21 to pass, for a total of about $88 per year. That's a reasonable sum to pay for the peace of mind of a fully funded and well-equipped fire department standing by in the event of a house fire or car crash.