PERRYSVILLE — Two renewal tax levies are on the ballot this November for the Green-Perrysville Joint Fire District.
The 1-mill and 2-mill levies would continue existing taxes for another five years, rather than add new levies. If approved, they are expected to generate a combined $278,081 annually, according to the Ashland County Auditor’s Office.
Chief John Mott said the funding helps the district maintain its station, fuel and repair its vehicles, purchase firefighting gear and EMS supplies, and staff its station seven days a week.
1-mill levy
The fire district’s 1-mill renewal levy is expected to generate $97,274 annually, according to the county auditor’s certificate dated July 10, 2026.
The certificate estimates the levy would cost property owners $23 annually for every $100,000 in market value.
Mott said the district relies on its operating funds to maintain equipment and cover day-to-day expenses, including fuel, vehicle repairs and fire gear. The district also uses property tax revenue to support volunteer training and reimburse volunteers.
“We do a reimbursement for our volunteers,” Mott said. “We also pay for our volunteer schooling.”
2-mill levy
The 2-mill renewal levy is expected to generate $180,807 annually, according to the county auditor’s certificate from July 10, 2026.
The certificate estimates the levy would cost property owners $41 annually for every $100,000 in market value.
Mott said levy funding is essential to maintaining staffing and emergency response services. The department currently staffs its station from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week to provide more coverage than its small group of volunteers could on their own.
“We only have about six volunteers right now that are currently with the department,” Mott said. “Everybody else on the roster is all part time.”
Mott said he believed the EMS levy was first approved in 2009, but he was unsure when the operations levy was first approved.
What happens if the levies fail?
Mott said the district relies on property tax revenue to maintain its vehicles and equipment and support its personnel.
“That’s how we fuel our trucks,” he said. “How we buy our fire gear. Our big EMS supplies, things like that.”
Over the past decade, the department has received an estimated $600,000 to $700,000 in grants.
“We’ve been very fortunate,” Mott said. “But, you know, obviously once that runs dry, we have nothing to operate off of.”
The EMS staffing levy allows it to staff its station from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week.
If that levy fails, Mott estimated the district could continue staffing through the remainder of 2026 and a couple of months into 2027 before returning to a volunteer-based system.
A return to a volunteer-based model would increase the workload for mutual-aid partners, including departments in Loudonville and Lucas.
“Not everybody has availability to go on calls daily, due to either age, work commitments, child care, things like that,” he said.
Mott also warned that losing the funding needed to operate the department could eventually leave it unable to continue operating.
“If we aren’t able to continue securing this funding, we won’t be able to operate anymore,” Mott said.
The district has mutual-aid agreements in place to help provide emergency coverage. Mott said the department hopes to eventually provide around-the-clock staffing, but it is currently focused on keeping the tax burden on residents as low as possible.
“I would absolutely love to someday see us be able to staff around the clock, 24/7,” Mott said. “But right now it’s just with the economy and the way things are, you know, we want to try to keep our tax burden to our residents as small as possible.”
