Lockland voters will decide on an 8-mill tax levy this Election Day that would help fund two full-time paramedics for the village fire department, according to village officials. The measure comes as the department currently relies on part-time staffing to cover paramedic services, a setup Fire Chief Doug Wehmeyer has described as a dangerous gamble.
The proposed levy would generate roughly $600,000 annually for the fire department, according to WCPO 9 Cincinnati. A separate report from wvxu.org put the figure at slightly more than $601,000 a year, with the added cost first hitting residents' tax bills in 2027 and no expiration date attached to the levy. County ballot language reviewed from the Hamilton County Board of Elections estimates the tax would collect $601,165 annually at a rate not exceeding 8 mills for each $1 of taxable value, for the stated purpose of providing and maintaining fire and emergency medical services.
Homeowners would see the cost show up as $280 per year for every $100,000 of property value, per the same wvxu.org report. The Lockland Fire Department currently draws funding from the village's general fund and two existing 4-mill tax levies, but one of those 4-mill levies expires at the end of the year. If the new 8-mill levy passes, village council plans to eliminate the other existing 4-mill levy.
Chief Warns of Dangerous Gamble on Staffing
Wehmeyer told WCPO 9 that fire crews currently respond to calls for service in less than three minutes on average, but keeping that pace up with part-time paramedic schedules is a constant struggle. He said building part-time schedules to have five firefighter EMTs or firefighter paramedics on duty daily is challenging for the department.
“Currently, we rely on part-time staffing to provide our paramedic service, and that's a dangerous gamble,” Wehmeyer said, according to the station's report. He added that having someone arrive within three minutes after a 911 call can significantly change the outcome for a patient, and that approving the levy would guarantee paramedic staffing and give residents the best chance of getting help when they need it.
If voters reject the levy, the fire department would face a reduction in services, the station's report notes. It would then fall to the village's elected council to decide whether those cuts land on the fire department itself or on other essential village services.
Part of a Wider Southwest Ohio Trend
Lockland is not alone in asking residents to dig deeper for first responders this year. Eleven Southwest Ohio communities are deciding this Election Day whether to start paying more taxes to support fire, police, or EMS services, according to wvxu.org.
The pressure on Ohio's emergency services extends well beyond Hamilton County. Statewide, 70 percent of Ohio is served by volunteer firefighters, according to a report from statenews.org, which also found that mean response times tended to run longer for incidents in lower-income ZIP codes served by part-time and volunteer departments. In one example cited in that report, the Belle Valley Volunteer Fire Department in Noble County operates on an annual budget of about $58,000, while its 20-year-old main fire engine would cost more than $1.5 million to replace.
Elsewhere in the state, the Firelands Ambulance Service District has put a five-year, 1-mill levy renewal back on the ballot, according to ashlandsource.com. That district's call volume has climbed 31.5 percent since 2018, leaving a budget gap even as it serves more than 5,500 residents across a 127-square-mile response area.
What Happens Next
Back in Lockland, the stakes Wehmeyer has outlined are straightforward: guaranteed paramedic staffing if the levy passes, or a reduction that village council would have to sort out if it fails. The outcome will depend on how voters respond this Election Day, with the fire department's funding structure set to shift either way once the expiring 4-mill levy lapses at the end of the year.
