New Carlisle voters rejected a proposed income-tax increase for the city's fire and EMS budget. Final unofficial results showed 55% opposed the 0.5 percentage point increase, with 45% in favor, bringing the city's income tax rate question to a halt before it ever took effect.
The Vote and What It Would Have Funded
The proposed levy would have raised New Carlisle's city income tax rate from 1.5% to 2%, with the money directed solely toward fire and emergency medical services expenses, according to the Springfield News-Sun. The WYSO statewide returns listed New Carlisle at 45% in favor and 55% against the 0.5% additional income tax for fire and EMS.
The proposed increase would have directed funds to fire and emergency medical services.
City Reacts to the Defeat
Hall said he understood and respected residents' decision, while acknowledging that additional taxes concern many households. He said firefighters and EMS personnel would continue their work and that the city would try to provide the best possible services with the resources it has, which may include operational adjustments. New Carlisle City Council had not intended to seek a property tax increase or the renewal of an existing levy if the income tax measure had passed, the report noted.
Fire Chief Steve Trusty said the department had already logged more than 1,400 calls this year, part of a trend that has seen call volume climb by roughly 100 calls per year since 2015. From January 1 through October 15 of this year, the department logged 360 overlap calls, instances when both medic units were tied up simultaneously, according to the Springfield News-Sun's reporting.
From Two Medics to One
Before the vote, New Carlisle funded two medic units staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, transporting patients to Kettering Health Dayton, Miami Valley Hospital, Upper Valley Medical Center and Kettering Health, as well as Mercy Health in Enon and Kettering Health Huber standalone emergency rooms for patients who don't need admission. Trauma patients go to Miami Valley's main hospital, and pediatric patients are taken to Dayton Children's Hospital.
With the levy's defeat, the city says it will now staff only one medic unit around the clock.
Part of a Mixed Night for Clark County Levies
New Carlisle's rejection was one piece of a broader, uneven picture across Clark County on Tuesday. Local issues and levies in the county saw mixed results in the final, unofficial tally, according to the Springfield News-Sun. Green Township voters narrowly rejected a separate five-year, 1.5-mill levy for ambulance and EMS services, with 51.98% opposed.
Other communities fared better. Bethel Township voters passed three property tax levies to fund fire apparatus, buildings, sites and salaries for the fire department. Harmony Township approved two 1-mill renewal levies for fire, ambulance and EMS services, with 64.21% and 61.38% support, while Pleasant Township voters renewed a five-year, 1.8-mill property tax for ambulance and EMS services with 64.48% approval.
Other First-Responder Levy Decisions
New Carlisle was not among the 11 communities WVXU listed as facing first-responder levy decisions on Election Day, according to WVXU.
The funding pressure isn't limited to any one city. A statewide report from statenews.org found that volunteer firefighters serve 70% of Ohio, and an Ideastream Public Media analysis of state response-time data found that incidents in lower-income ZIP codes served by part-time and volunteer departments tended to have longer mean response times. The same report highlighted the budget gap between departments: Belle Valley Volunteer Fire Department in Noble County typically operates on about $58,000 a year, and its chief said replacing the department's main engine now would cost more than $1.5 million, while Gates Mills' volunteer department runs on roughly $400,000 annually, more than six times Belle Valley's budget.
