OXFORD, Ohio — Ahead of the November election, Oxford city officials warned the failure to pass a fire/EMS levy could lead to significant city service cuts or the loss of public safety service to the city.
Fire Chief John Detherage said low funding led to an unsustainable staff-to-call ratio.
"We've been staffed with five guys around the clock making around 32 hundred calls a year which is way too much for five guys," Detherage said.
The chief said the large call volume per firefighter, in addition to half of the volume coming at night with responses to Miami University, led to many of his veteran staff leaving for other area departments with similar pay but less burden.
"In a 24-hour shift, nobody gets any sleep," he said.
The levy passed by nearly 73%.
Detherage acknowledged a campaign asking voters to pay higher property taxes amid high inflation and high prices faced an uphill battle, but an agreement between the City of Oxford and Miami University made a big difference.
The university agreed to pay around $1.2 million annually for fire services, if the levy passed, effectively matching the $1.28 million the city expects to raise in tax revenue.
Detherage said the funding would allow them to staff 12 full-time firefighters and purchase new equipment to replace things like the department's aging ladder truck.
"It's 20 years old," he said. "The company that built it has been out of business for 15 to 18 years so it's hard to get parts when you have a problem."
The City of Oxford expects the levy's passage will keep the department solvent and competitive with other area fire departments for more than a decade.
"The guys really worked hard to get through a tough spot, and now there's a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel," Detherage said.
The new property taxes will be collected in 2025 based on 2024 property values.
Homeowners can assess the tax burden they will bear with this property tax calculator.
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