Fire levies and outdoor drinking areas are among legislation up for passage by Rossford City Council in the coming weeks.
The Rossford Fire Department is seeking a pair of levies to address concerns regarding apparatus and equipment, and staffing levels. If approved, the taxes would appear on the November general election ballot.
City council heard a first reading at its May 13 meeting. If the resolutions are approved, a 2.8-mill levy to cover capital improvements would appear on the ballot along with a 1-mill levy for staffing.
Fire Chief Josh Drouard said the department hasn’t received a budgetary increase in 35 years, and it’s starting to show.
“Our fleet right now is hurting the most because the vehicles are so old,” Chief Drouard said. “They’re just breaking; some are actually broken. We had a 46-year-old mini pumper we brought out to use. We put our feet through the floorboard because it rusted out.”
Within the past week, the department’s ladder truck had to be repaired for a transmission issue, while a 21-year-old engine has been sitting outside because of a large chassis crack along with other issues, the chief said.
Staffing levels also remain an issue, something Chief Drouard called a nationwide trend.
“We have people responding, but we don’t always have a consistent response,” he said. “We’re hit-or-miss as to how many people respond to an emergency. The hiring of part-time people is our next challenge.”
The levies would bring in about $490,000 combined if approved by voters.
City council also heard a first reading to establish a designated outdoor refreshment area — or DORA — near the Rossford-Toledo border across from Hollywood Casino Toledo.
NAI Harmon Group is developing an entertainment district on Hollywood Boulevard, and Councilman Chris Heban said the developers are “100 percent supportive” of the idea.
“We want to make Project RED a destination and in order to do that, we have to make it unique and stand out,” Mr. Heban said. “If we pass this DORA, I think it makes it more marketable.”
At least four business are required to sign on before the DORA becomes official. Adults 21 years and older would be permitted to walk outdoors with alcoholic beverages within the boundary, similar to districts recently established in Toledo and Sylvania.
Mr. Heban hopes to see a DORA established in downtown Rossford by 2020.
First Published May 19, 2019, 6:29 p.m.
