ANDERSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Residents in Anderson Township will vote on a public safety levy this November that could increase property taxes.
The township said its fire department has seen a 31% increase in calls for service since 2016 — the last time officials asked voters for more public safety money. This levy would keep services at their current level and comes down to an additional $19.25 a month on your property tax bill for a property valued at $200,000.
"We've done everything we can do delay, but we're at the point where we don't really have an option except to go back to the voters at this time," said Vicky Earhart, Anderson Township administrator.
Township officials credit their higher volume to a growing senior population, reporting that residents age 55 and older account for 73.5% of its EMS responses.
Earhart also said the township is limited in what it can do to collect more revenue as its main source of revenue comes from property taxes.
On Monday, WCPO 9 News rode along with Anderson Township Battalion Chief Brian Carlson as firefighters responded to a call about an electrical fire. He showed us how firefighters communicate with each other and showed us the iPad inside of his truck, which shows where crews are located in real time.
"Once we get units on the scene, or this isn't a fire we can handle, we can get everyone else available so they're ready for the next call," Carlson said. "If that resource isn't in the right place at the right time, how much longer is it going to take for the next unit to get there."
Before our arrival, Carlson said the department responded to one fire and three EMS calls that morning. It's a numbers game for Carlson, making sure the department balances its resources, given the circumstances at any given time.
"Any deviation from that, taking people away from that scenario that we have is just going to increase response times," Carlson said.
The township told WCPO that if voters do not pass the levy, it could be forced to cut personnel like firefighters.
When asked what his biggest fear was if voters say no to the levy, Carlson said, "Just response times are going to get longer because we're not going to have the personnel to respond."
87% of the township's revenue for public safety comes from property taxes. Similarly, Forest Hills School District was one of the local districts to call for school funding reform amid a continuous cycle of school levies. Ohio's Fair School Funding Plan would cut down on a school district's reliance on local property taxes — something superintendents have said causes an uneven playing field.
Residents like Natalie Hastings are concerned about their property tax bills going up once again. However, she said she feels state lawmakers need to tackle the funding issue, so places like Anderson Township don't have to continue to ask voters for more money every few years.
"I do care about inflation and I do care all the people in our community who are on fixed incomes," said Hastings. "It really doesn't make sense, at the end of the day, why we're paying more in property taxes, especially seniors with limited incomes, and it's not coming back to us whether that's for schools township services or parks. For the most part, this is a state problem, and that's the only place we can fix it."
