Austintown Trustees vote to add 3-mill fire department levy to November ballot

Austintown Township Trustees are putting a tax issue on the November ballot.

Trustees voted to add the three-mill levy for the fire department during their regular meeting Monday evening.

If approved the levy would generate approximately $2 million which fire department officials say would be used to avoid making any potential cuts to the services.

Fire chief Andy Frost told 21 News that inflation and labor shortages are two major contributors behind the need for more funding. Frost said the fire department responds to more than 5,000 calls yearly and reached an all-time high in 2022.

Township administrator Mark D'Apolito says American Rescue Plan funds and grants from the federal government helped stabilize the township's fire and EMS department, but those funds are now dwindling, and this levy is their last resort.