POLAND TOWNSHIP, Ohio - Residents in Poland will be faced with three levy requests at the ballot.

With more dollars being spent for gas and groceries, officials are trying to make their case for voter support.

The chief of Poland's joint fire district, covering 21 square miles of Poland Township and Poland Village, says the one mill additional fire levy would cost about $30.00 a year for the owner of a home valued at $100,000.00.

Chip Comstock, Fire Chief for the Western Reserve Joint Fire District, says the money is not for operating expenses and that the money is needed to replace aging fire trucks. The cost of one fire truck is more than $400,000.00. "Our average age of our engines right now is 20 years old, so we're trying to do a regular replacement. And at our fire stations, we're going to repair some water issues that we have and then we are going and try to add some space, so we can put some first responder vehicles in the stations," Comstock said.

Poland Trustees are also asking voters to support a two mill renewal operating levy, explaining to voters that they are not asking for anything more than to maintain the same level of police, road plowing, paving and patching for the township. "This is something that the residents have been paying on all along. That's the $20.00 they spend every year and have been spending since 1978. I can't think of many communities that are dealing with the same dollars that they are for the last 30 years," said Bob Lidle, Poland Township Trustee.

Schools however are asking for a 4.9 mill five year emergency levy saying the money is needed to make up for a cut of one million dollars in state funding. Superintendent of Schools Robert Zorn says the money will not go to raises. He adds the district spends less than eight other districts in the county, yet consistently maintains excellent academic school ratings.