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Trustees debate next steps after failed fire levy as budget hearings set
Summary
Ross Township trustees and staff discussed the failed fire/EMS levy, reviewed likely causes including property reappraisals and social-media misinformation, and agreed to a series of 2026 budget hearings to review departmental line items and potential service adjustments.
Trustees and township officials spent a large portion of the meeting discussing the failed fire and EMS levy and what it means for next year’s budget.
Several board members and the fire-department representative said voters acknowledged the need for additional funding but that economic pressure and confusing information during the campaign contributed to the levy’s defeat. The administrator told trustees that recent property reappraisals and limits on replacement-levy options constrained what could be presented to voters this cycle and that misleading posts on social media added to public confusion.
The board did not adopt new tax measures at the meeting. Instead, trustees agreed to schedule budget hearings for 2026—proposed for mid- to late November—during which department heads will be required to justify every line item. The administrator said the goal of the hearings is to “painstakingly comb through departmental budgets” and show residents how tax dollars are being allocated.
Board members and staff emphasized the distinction between discussion and formal decisions: officials repeatedly said that while staffing and service cuts are possible if revenues fall short, no layoffs or specific reductions were authorized at the meeting. The administrator cited an Ohio Attorney General opinion restricting certain political activity by public employees during an election as a reason the township could not have staff campaign at polling places; trustees said that limitation reduced opportunities for voter outreach during the last levy campaign.
Trustees tasked the fire chief, police chief and road superintendent with preparing detailed, itemized budget presentations for the upcoming hearings. The board signaled openness to balancing the budget while attempting to preserve essential services, though it acknowledged some reductions may be unavoidable if new revenue is not approved.
Next steps: the board set dates for department budget hearings and work sessions, and directed staff to return with line-item analyses and options for maintaining service levels within projected revenues.
