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BOARDMAN – Boardman voters will decide this election whether a five-year, 2.75-mill safety services levy will be approved.
The additional levy would bring in $3,772,795 annually and would cost $96 for each $100,000 per property valuation. It would commence in 2026 and first collect in 2027.
Boardman Township Administrator Mark Ragozine said the proposed levy will support both the police and fire departments, with the anticipated revenue divided between the two.
"The Boardman Fire Department also, on occasion, provides emergency medical services," he said. "However, this is a police and fire levy, not a separate, ambulance levy. This levy is simply to maintain our current levels of staffing as well as plan for capital improvements in the future, not expand services.”
He said the proposed millage was based on the township's projected revenue needs and the cost of maintaining police and fire services.
"The levy is estimated to generate approximately $3.7 million to $3.8 million annually," Ragozine said. "The millage was developed to address the identified funding needs while supporting the township's ability to plan for ongoing operating expenses and future equipment replacement. The township also considered the burden to the taxpayers and as such, is asking for the lowest amount to maintain, not expand, our services."
He said the primary reason for needing the levy is the increasing cost of maintaining police and fire services. Personnel, healthcare, insurance, fuel, vehicles and emergency equipment have all become more expensive, but the township continues to collect the same amount of millage despite these increasing costs. Boardman Township has not passed a new levy in 15 years.
Ragozine said the levy will not generate additional funding for roads or other unrelated township operations. The administration has maintained to residents that "general fund levies are a thing of the past and moving forward, as with this levy, any ask of residents will be for a dedicated purpose such as police and fire, not the general fund."
"We understand the burden property taxes have placed on our community. However, only about 20% of a Boardman resident's property taxes actually fund the township," he said. "Our goal is to maintain our wonderful emergency services while continuing to be good stewards of the taxpayers’ dollar."