Liberty Twp. fire levy: 3 things to know

Voters in Liberty Twp., one of the fastest growing places in the region, will be asked to approve a 3.5-mill fire levy in November.

RELATED: After much debate, Liberty Twp. trustees agree to safety services levy

The township’s population has quadrupled in the past two decades, now standing at about 40,000 residents. Calls for service are projected to reach 3,038 this year, compared to 1,968 runs in 2010.

Here are three things to know about the levy request:

1. If voters agree, the owner of a $100,000 home would pay $122 more annually — or a total of $300 when two existing levies are included.

MORE: Township not yet reaping huge proceeds from Liberty Center

2. Fire/EMS calls for service anticipated for 2017 represent a 54 percent increase since 2010. Emergency medical runs alone have increased by more than 500 runs compared to 2010. With the increase in services since 2010, the township has not received any additional property tax revenue. The township does not receive any additional tax revenue with the addition of new homes or increased property values once the levy is approved. That means that if the population doubles, there would be no additional revenue for services.

3. If the township did nothing at all now and continued to rely on the two existing levies — both are continuous — Finance Director Michelle Greis said they will be in the red to the tune of $3 million by the end of 2019.


VOTERS GUIDE ONLINE

There are dozens of local races for mayor, city councils, school boards and township trustees on November’s ballot. There’s also fire levies and countywide tax issues on the ballot.

Find out what's on your ballot and hear from the candidates in our interactive Voters Guide at vote.journal-news.com

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