Fire Chief: Replacement Fire, EMS Levies Small Price to Pay for Safety Services

Editor's note: This article originally was published Feb. 24. It's re-published on our home page to help our viewers prepare for Tuesday's election.

The on the March 6 ballot will help bring the fire and EMS stations up to current standards, and they'll do it with little cost to residents, Chief John Bacon said at Monday night's City Council meeting.

On the ballot is a 1-mill continuing replacement levy for EMS, generating about $378,000 a year, and a 0.5-mill continuing replacement levy for fire services, generating about $189,000 a year.

Both would be the same millage as the levies passed in the ’80s, but the new levies would bring in money based on current property values. Based on old property values, the EMS levy generates $173,000, and for fire services about $96,000.

"If you stop and think about it, this is going to cost about $15 a year for fire and $30 a year for EMS," Bacon said during an interview with North Canton Patch last week. "Fifteen dollars a year to know the fire department will be there when you call and they'll be there there in three to four minutes."

Residents also fund a 1.5-mill two-year levy, passed in May 2010, which pays for EMS and generates $565,000 a year. That levy expires at the end of 2012.

Bacon spoke at the North Canton City Council meeting and showed a slideshow containing information about the department and ways it has cost costs to save tax payer dollars. That includes dilligently applying for grants and relying on part-timers to work in both the fire and EMS divisions.

North Canton was compared to the city of Tallmadge in a state audit because of the cities' similar populations, and that comparison helps show how well North Canton operates with less money.

"They operate on a 3.7-mill continuing levy. We do the same thing — but for 1.5," Bacon said.

applauded Bacon and the North Canton Fire and EMS Department, saying the fire and EMS department is "the cornerstone of our city."

"This is going to maintain our services for years to come," Foltz said of the levies. "I don't think that's a lot to ask for the professionalism and the great service that we get for fire and EMS."