Brimfield Township residents will see Issue 27, a five-year, 1.95-mill additional tax levy to fund fire and emergency medical services for Brimfield’s fire department on their ballots for the Nov. 3 election.
Should township voters approve the levy, the county auditor estimates it would raise $930,323 annually and would cost property owners $68 per $100,000 of market value.
(Market value, the state's new term for “appraised value,” is set by the county auditor and does not refer to what a given property would bring on the open market.)
The five-year timeline would begin this year, with payments first due in calendar year 2027.
The fire department has faced a number of financial issues in recent years, from some purchases being flagged by the state auditor to internal funds being used to cover overages related to the new fire station.
Former Brimfield Fire Chief Craig Mullaly stood at the center of the years-long financial maelstrom and more than once was on the verge of losing his job. His treatment of another former township employee drew the trustees’ ire, as did his reluctance to provide clear answers to Trustee Kevin Scott’s questions. Mullaly recently resigned for what he cited as personal reasons and accepted a lower-ranked position as a Brimfield fire lieutenant.
Ron Goodspeed, a former Brimfield lieutenant, now heads the department.
Trustee Nic Coia is focusing on the fire department’s future, which he said depends on voters approving Issue 27. If township residents want the same fire/EMS services they have now, they have to provide the necessary funds, he said.
Rejection of Issue 27 could mean staff reductions, service reductions and/or transitioning from a 24/7 department, he cautioned.
Scott focused on staffing cuts, which he said would hamper the fire department’s ability to respond when multiple calls come in at the same time.
“We will have to lean heavily on mutual aid, if we’re still on good terms with the neighboring communities,” Scott said.
One EMS and one fire/EMS levy are currently on Brimfield’s books, but Coia and Scott say the money they generate is insufficient. Coia went further, singling out former township Fiscal Officer John Dalziel for providing poor fiscal advice.
“The previous fiscal officer told us, when we ran the last levy [in 2024], that we were good, and now we're seeing those numbers are short,” he said.
Scott said he understands the "previous mishandling” of the fire department’s budget is a hard pill to swallow for any taxpayer. Still, the financial pressure exists, leaving the trustees with no choice but to ask township voters for more funds.
“I understand their questions, but I don’t know what else to do,” Scott said.
Brimfield Township voters approved the last dedicated EMS tax levy in November 2024: a five-year, 1.7-mill renewal levy that the county auditor estimated would raise $467,000 annually and would cost property owners $43 per $100,000 of appraised value.
That levy is still on the books and will be until 2028.
Also on the books is a continuing 4.9-mill replacement fire/EMS levy voters approved in November 2018. It is expected to generate $1,423,296 this year.
A 1.37-mill bond issue intended to raise $8.5 million over 28 years passed in November 2020. Proceeds were dedicated to building and equipping a new fire station, adding administration offices and making site improvements. Scott said that bond issue has nothing to do with the township’s current ask and cannot be used for anything other than what it was originally intended.