About Polk Jackson Perry Fire District Levy Replacements

A replacement is like a renewal in that the levy is on the ballot at the same millage as the current levy. However, with a replacement, the cost is valued at your home’s current rate (not the previous valuation early 1980's). This is why, in some cases, homeowners may see a slight increase if the valuation of their home increased since the levy was last approved. But there is no increase in the millage requested. Our current valuation on both levies is from the early 1980's. We have been able to operate for over 40 years on 1980's money.

We will have (2) replacement levies up in November, they are as follows:

1.4 mills-  Previously passed in the 1980s, this will be a 5-year replacement levy costing approximately $49 for each $100,000 of the county auditors' appraised value. 

0.5 mills- Also previously passed in the 1980s, this will be a 5-year replacement levy costing approximately $17 for each  $100,000 of the county auditors' appraised value.

The Polk Jackson Perry Fire District Fire Department is made up of a dedicated team of professionals who are committed to serving the community. Our firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, and support staff are highly trained and experienced. With that being said we are currently one of the top 3 busiest departments in the county behind Ashland, and Loudonville. In 2022 our department was awarded a grant for staffing full-time personnel, this grant funding will expire after an extension in the spring of 2025. This replacement will allow us to continue full-time staff, supplemented with part-time personnel greatly enhancing the protection of our community. This is a service you have been receiving for 2 years funded by the grant, however, we are now in need of these replacement levies if we wish to continue this staffing model.  

We have grown from a small team of volunteers to a well-equipped and trained department ready to respond to any emergency. However, our costs associated with providing these services have also grown. Costs associated with equipping a single firefighter have increased by 81% since just 2020. New fire trucks now cost approximately 1.2 million dollars an increase of 89% since 2020. The average maintenance cost of vehicles has grown approximately 274% since 2020. Calls for service have increased 38% since 2020, with overlapping calls becoming more common.