Fairfield Township trustees on Tuesday voted to begin the formal process that could put separate fire and police levies before voters, adopting resolutions to send levy-necessity requests to the county auditor and approving the township’s 2026 permanent appropriations and tax-rate certifications.

Unidentified Speaker 3, who presented the levy proposals, told trustees the fire levy would likely require about 4.49 mills to generate roughly $3.5 million annually and the police levy about 2.99 mills to produce roughly $2.3 million. "For the fire levy, it would be I'm estimating 4.49 mils," Unidentified Speaker 3 said. The board voted to forward those estimates to the county auditor so the office can certify the expected revenue.

The fiscal overview presented earlier in the meeting showed existing budget pressure. Unidentified Speaker 2 reported the township’s checking balance at about $2.8 million, an investment account of $15.3 million, year‑to‑date revenue of roughly $15.8 million and expenditures of about $16.2 million; total funds across accounts were cited as about $18.1 million. "We earned $40,000 in interest in November," Unidentified Speaker 2 said.

Trustees emphasized that the certification is a procedural step, not a final decision to place levies on a ballot. Unidentified Speaker 1 explained that the auditor must certify numbers before the board can vote in January whether to seek placement on the May or November ballot. The board also set a special meeting for Dec. 29, 2025, at 5 p.m. to review final 2025 revenues, expenditures and any necessary transfers before year end.

Several trustees voiced concern about the proposed levy sizes and timing. One trustee questioned whether pursuing a May ballot made sense given upcoming reassessments and competing levy requests in the county; another noted that the township has relied on carried-over funds to extend prior levies beyond their intended terms. Board discussion also referenced the potential impact of state-level changes to property-tax policy as an added uncertainty.

The trustees adopted Resolution 25‑151 (certifying amounts and rates), Resolution 25‑152 (2026 permanent appropriations) and the levy-necessity resolutions 25‑153 (fire) and 25‑154 (police) by roll call votes. Each roll call recorded affirmative responses from the three trustees present.

Next steps: the county auditor will certify the revenue estimates returned to the board, and trustees said they will decide in January whether to move forward with placing a levy on the May ballot. The Dec. 29 special meeting will address last-year revenues and any year‑end transfers prior to final certification.