Fire Levy

The Plain Township Board of Trustees has voted to place a Fire Levy on the May ballot to replace an existing 3.0 mill levy and decrease it to 2.9 mills. The option to replace the 3.0 mill levy and decrease to 2.9 mills will result in an estimated cost to taxpayers of $68.96 per $100,000 of valuation and would produce an estimated $1,177,249 in additional fire levy tax collection.

Infographic 4.9.15

If approved, the May replace and decrease levy would fund the Plain Township Fire Department through 2020. Plain Township currently has the lowest effective fire levy millage in Franklin County, and even with the levy would be at the second lowest effective millage in the county.

Franklin County Township Fire Levy Comparison

The 3.0 mill levy was approved in 1990, and the 2015 effective rate is 1.06 mills on residential property and 0.52 mills on commercial property. The replace and decrease levy at 2.9 mills would collect an additional 1.84 mills on residential property and 2.38 mills on commercial property. For 2015, Plain Township will collect 6.7 Mills out of a total of 12.2 Mills of voted millage for the fire department. In 2014, Plain Township collected $4,166,302 on the existing fire levies.

The last levy increase was approved in 2008. Since 2009, Plain Township’s tax receipts have decreased by 1%. Since 2008, emergency runs increased by 33% from 1,702 to 2,263 in 2014, and the population increased by 28% from 8,673 to a current estimate of 11,071. While service demands have increased and funding has remained flat, Plain Township has used a carryover balance to meet the increased emergency demands of a growing community.

Additional support is needed to maintain staffing levels, maintain service levels, replace personal protective gear, replace emergency vehicles, and make needed capital improvements. On December 16, 2014, the Plain Township Board of Trustees approved cost containment measures for 2015 totaling $455,000 in capital expenses and $347,000 in operating expenses. These represent 8.5% and 6.5 %, respectively, of the total 2014 budget. The planned budget reductions are intended to manage the funding gap while limiting the impact on emergency services. Even with these reductions, Plain Township will face a significant operating deficit in 2015. Without additional community support, more significant reductions will be required to balance the budget beyond 2015.

2013 Plain Township Cash Basis Financial Statements

2014 Plain Township Cash Basis Financial Statements