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Norwich trustees place 6-mill fire levy on ballot; voters later approve measure
Summary
Trustees placed a 6-mill levy on the November 1998 ballot to fund the fire department; the board ran public outreach and, after voter approval, moved ahead with hiring, training and equipment planning including soliciting specifications for a new pumper.
Norwich Township trustees voted in August to place a 6-mill fire-maintenance levy on the November 1998 ballot and organized a public information campaign in the months leading up to the election. The board said the levy was needed to sustain fire department operations, training and equipment replacement.
The trustees approved the placement of the question during a preliminary budget hearing and directed staff to hold public meetings and publish explanatory material in the township newsletter and local papers to explain projected impacts on taxpayers. A public information meeting was held Oct. 28 with Franklin County representatives in attendance to answer technical questions and show sample cost calculations.
After the election the township received the certificate of results showing the levy passed. The board reported receiving the official vote totals (certificate filed with the clerk) and moved to begin levy-funded planning: they authorized soliciting specifications and bids for a replacement pumper and scheduled additional public meetings to explain next steps and the budgetary timetable.
The fire department used levy-proceeds planning to confirm training and hiring priorities. Trustees approved sending staff to certification and re-certification classes, authorized equipment purchases intended to cut recurring operating costs (an LED landing-zone/scene-safety kit) and approved standard operations spending the board said the levy would help sustain.
Next steps: the board requested staff to publish a schedule of procurement milestones for the pumper and to hold follow-up meetings before awarding contracts; hiring for three full-time fire positions — previously authorized by the board to proceed once levy funding was certain — was slated to move forward.
