Copley Township voters will decide this November whether to approve a new three-year, 1.7-mill levy for the township fire department, the first new fire-related tax request in about five or six years apart from the levy for the new facility. The levy is expected to generate about $1.38 million a year, and it would cost the owner of a home with a $100,000 market value roughly $60 annually.
The measure, first reported by Cleveland.com, comes as the Copley Township Fire Department braces for more than $4 million in equipment and other major expenses over the next several years. Township Administrator Greg Tracy told township trustees that planned capital expenses between 2027 and 2032 total about $4.2 million, including roughly $950,000 for a new fire engine and $1.9 million for a new ladder truck, according to the report. The department's current ladder truck dates back to 1995, and officials have said ordering and receiving a replacement can take about three years once approved.
Fire Chief Chris Bower said the department needs to replace several expensive pieces of apparatus, including a ladder truck, fire engine and EMS ambulances, per the same account. The fire department is also expected to replace ambulances in the coming years as it anticipates handling roughly 3,600 calls in 2026, about 80% of which involve emergency medical services. Call volume has climbed roughly 40% over the past decade, straining a fleet that has not kept pace with demand.
Why the Township's Facility Levy Wasn't Enough
The new levy request comes about five to six years after Copley's last fire-related ask outside of the 2022 bond issue that funded the township's new safety facility, Tracy said in the report. Voters approved that measure, known as Issue 32, in November 2022 — a 2.11-mill bond levy spread over 26 years to finance the $20.5 million joint police and fire/EMS facility, according to Copley Township. That project moved fire operations out of the basement of the old Town Hall building, where the department had operated for years.
Construction on the 40,000-square-foot Copley Township Safety Center off Sunset Drive wrapped up in early 2025, and officials held a formal dedication ceremony on June 22, 2025, according to Infinity Construction. The facility includes six two-sided fire apparatus bays along with dedicated police department space. The department still faces the separate challenge of replacing aging trucks and ambulances.
Ohio Law Limits How Townships Can Raise Money
The Copley Township fact sheet discusses voted property tax levies and state or federal grants in connection with local safety forces. That statutory restriction is compounded by Ohio House Bill 920, enacted in 1976, which adjusts voted property tax rates downward as real estate values rise — effectively freezing continuous levies at their original dollar amounts rather than letting them grow with reappraisals, according to the Knox County Auditor.
That mechanism explains why Copley's existing fire levies, which date to 2019 and 2020, do not automatically generate additional revenue as property values climb, even though they are continuous levies that never expire. Trustee Jim Schulte said the township has kept its budget as tight as possible under those constraints, per the Cleveland.com report. Replacing the two existing levies outright would have generated about 2.1 mills — more than the 1.7-mill levy trustees ultimately placed on the ballot.
Trustees Weighed Two Options Before Settling on 1.7 Mills
During a special meeting on May 15, 2026, trustees evaluated two paths: replacing both existing continuous 3.3-mill levies outright, or adding a new 1.25-mill levy on top of them, according to Akron.com. The proposed levy is expected to generate roughly $1.38 million a year, and trustees reviewed capital equipment replacement schedules — including the department's 31-year-old pumper truck — before settling on the final 1.7-mill proposal.
Bower said the three-year term was chosen deliberately, allowing the township to reassess the department's needs and decide whether to reduce, increase or replace the levy once it expires. He added that the township could lower the millage in the future if grants help offset costs. If voters reject the measure, the fire department will continue operating, but Bower said without the levy the township would face very difficult decisions; officials have said a rejection could mean delaying some equipment purchases and keeping older vehicles in service longer.
Cost-Cutting Efforts Already Underway
The fire department has pursued additional grants ahead of the levy request. The department had about $1.6 million reserved in its account as of May 2026, but that reserve alone falls well short of the more than $4 million in anticipated capital needs.
Copley also has fire facilities beyond the new safety center.
What Comes Next for Voters
If approved, the levy would take effect with first collection expected in 2027. Bower said the levy would help the department replace aging equipment before it becomes an emergency, and that it would support the department's success for at least the next decade.
Voter registration for the November 3, 2026 general election closes Monday, October 5, according to the Summit County Board of Elections. Absentee ballots began going out to service personnel and overseas voters on Friday, and other absentee ballots will be mailed starting October 6, the same day early in-person voting begins. Voting will take place on Election Day.
Copley Township has already put part of its safety infrastructure to a new civic use: the former fire department vehicle bays at Village Hall were converted into Copley Community Hall, which opened for public event reservations in May 2026 as part of the scope of the 2022 safety facility bond issue.
