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Ross Township budget hearing flags fire department shortfalls, costly equipment needs and looming levy choice
Summary
At a Nov. 20 budget hearing, fiscal officer Julie Jo outlined carryover pressures and capital needs for Ross Township Fire, including overdue NFPA testing, aging cardiac monitors and stretchers, and options to combine levies to capture growth; trustees will finalize temporary appropriations in December.
Fiscal officer Julie Jo told trustees at the Nov. 20 budget hearing that the township’s 2025 figures are estimates and that the board will adopt temporary appropriations at a December meeting.
Jo said the auditor of state has told the township that "none is required" regarding a potential finding for recovery on a police pension correction, but cautioned the full audit is not complete. She framed the budget numbers as a "worst-case possibility" based on encumbrances and projected expenditures through Oct. 31, 2024.
The hearing centered on the fire department’s finances. Jo said a $300,000 ambulance encumbered in 2023 depresses 2024 figures and that the department is drawing down carryover balances. "We'd like to have a year's worth of expenditures in a carryover," she said, "but to have an excessive amount is not fiscally responsible." The township will continue to rely on carryovers while planning for the next levy cycle.
Trustees and staff reviewed several near-term capital and compliance priorities. Jo urged the board to budget for NFPA-required pump, ladder and hose testing that has been deferred: pump testing is roughly $225 per truck, ladder testing about $400 per ladder, and hose testing was estimated at about $3,000 for two engines. She noted ladders had not been professionally tested for decades and said records would be essential if equipment failed during an incident.
Officials labeled cardiac monitors a top priority. The township’s older LifePak 12 units are nearing obsolescence; staff recommended LifePak 35 replacements. Jo described a financing option that would lock a price and delay payment until delivery; trustees were told four new monitors with a five-year service contract could be procured with multi-year payments.
Power-load stretchers and related hydraulic systems also drew attention. Jo said two stretchers are about 17 years old and that replacing three power-load units would be roughly $233,000; she reported an AFG grant application is planned or in progress to help cover that cost.
On day-to-day revenue, Jo said EMS billing has improved this year, with collections near $160,000–$165,000 so far and a budget target of roughly $175,000 for next year. She also discussed operations savings: reducing rental oxygen-bottle inventories and pursuing better vendor pricing could lower an anticipated $6,500 line item.
Facility maintenance issues were raised: two station houses show water damage and suspected mold in showers and kitchen areas. Jo said an initial mold-abatement assessment could cost about $2,200 plus sampling and recommended prioritizing remediation before undertaking larger renovations.
Trustees discussed medium- and long-term choices under Ohio’s levy framework, including whether to combine two fire levies when one next comes due so the township could capture new growth and potentially reduce cumulative millage for residents. Jo warned that Ohio levy law does not allow levies to grow automatically and said the board must plan and educate the public if they pursue changes.
Jo closed by emphasizing the estimates and uncertainties: final 2025 appropriations will be set in December after additional data and the standard year-close adjustments.
The board did not take a final vote on appropriations at the Nov. 20 hearing; trustees will consider temporary appropriations and any capital commitments at a December meeting.
