By Michael D. Clark
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Brewer

LEBANON - After a unanimous City Council vote, residents will now decide whether they want to increase the size of their fire department by paying a higher tax.

Tuesday evening the council approved the Nov. 4 ballot issue asking the city's 17,000 residents to boost the fire levy from 4.5 to 5.5 mills.

Mayor Amy Brewer said council's 7-0 vote was indicative of the importance all the city's elected leaders place on the new fire levy, which would allow building a second fire station, hiring more firefighters and adding equipment.

"We know that a top priority in our city is the welfare and safety of residents," said Brewer.

"I'm hopeful the community will see the importance of this levy for the overall quality of life for residents."

Some opposition

But long-time Lebanon resident Charleen Flick criticized council for choosing the funding option that is "most expensive to the taxpayer."

If voters approve a 5.5-mill tax, the annual fire tax for the owner of a $100,000 home would grow from $157 to $192, or an increase of $35 per year.

Flick cautioned City Council not to try to scare voters to the polls by using the fire levy as "emotional football" and telling people that "the town will burn down and everyone will die if we do not get 5.5 mills."

But fellow resident Diana Renner said after the meeting, "I think it's a good idea because the town is growing so fast. It doesn't make any sense to cut back on basic safety services."

Resident Brian West said he is "inclined to vote for it because it will positively affect our home insurance rates," which are based in large part on a home's proximity to a fire station.

Response time

Fire Chief Michael Hannigan told council that the need for the levy is driven by the lack of proximity between the city's lone fire station downtown and the southern neighborhoods, which take as much as 12 minutes to reach during an emergency run.

"A fire can double in size every minute," said Hannigan.

He said the addition of a new fire station off of Nelson Road would cut the emergency run time to five minutes.

$700,000 more

The 4.5-mill levy has been generating about $1.2 million annually for Lebanon.

If voters approve the increase to 5.5 mills, it would bring in an estimated $1.9 million a year, said Hannigan.

E-mail mclark@enquirer.com