February 16, 2024
By Rachel Scofield

On a March 19 ballot, the Violet Township Fire Department will ask voters to approve a 3.6 mil continuing levy to fund the relocation of Station 593 and the creation of Station 594 on Busey Road.

Station 593 is currently housed on the back side of the Ashley Furniture/Staples building in Reynoldsburg.

“The relocation is needed to better serve the community,” said Violet Township Fire Chief Michael Little “This station was opened over 20 years ago and at that time, this area was the single, busiest quadrant for us.

Due to the growth that has taken place over the years, our response needs have also changed.  Moving this station will allow us to improve response times and we will be able to add an engine company.  Addition of this vehicle and nine personnel to staff will increase our firefighting and first responder capabilities.  Once opened, we will have three fully staffed vehicles capable of providing fire coverage to the township along with our three medics.

At the time this article was published, the chief could not name the future address of Station 593 because the land had not yet been secured.

He could confirm that the site is currently vacant and located next to a prominent road in the northern part of the township south of Interstate 70.

The township has the funds to buy the land, but not to build the station.

“The site we are looking to purchase is vacant,” Little said. “So, the site will have to be completely developed (i.e. removal of trees/shrubs, infrastructure additions for water/sewer, electric, gas, etc.).  We will also need to contract with an architect to design the station and then build.”

The new Station 594 will be in Canal Winchester near the southeast corner of Busey and Diley Roads to the west of Busey Park.

Little said that the Violet Township Trustees took the need for a fourth fire station into consideration when they bought land for the park. 

If approved, the levy will increase property taxes by $126 for every $100,000 of appraised value.

Based on current property values, the fire department will collect $6,553,799 annually. This amount will increase as more development occurs in the township, Brown said.

According to Auditor Carri Brown, “The term of the tax is a continuing term. A continuing term means that there is no end date specified.  Sometimes, people describe this as a permanent levy.”

The fire department has not asked for a levy since 2014. That year they responded to 5,022 calls for emergency services. In 2023, the fire department responded to 8,169 calls for emergency service.

“We would not ask for more funds if the need wasn’t present,” Little said. “Our run volumes continue to increase year after year due to the continued growth of the community.  As everyone knows, the cost of doing business is increasing each year.  Our goal is and always has been to serve the community at the highest level possible in the most judicious way possible.  Without the support of our community, this is not possible.”

If approved, payments for this levy would begin in 2025. The amount property owners owe will remain consistent unless they have new construction on their property that would change the appraised values.

Voters can currently apply for an absentee ballot which must be mailed by February 21. Also, beginning February 21, in-person early voting will take place at the Fairfield County Board of Elections (951 Liberty Drive, Lancaster). The days and hours for the in-person voting are listed on the Board of Elections’ website.

For more information on the proposed levy, please visit: Friends of Violet Fire.

County Auditor’s “Tax Estimator”

The Auditor’s Office has a “tax estimator” tool on its website that calculates the taxes for any given address based on current tax rates. The tax rate for a community is the accumulation of all levies and bond issues. The estimator is based on current rates only, so the proposed fire department levy will not be part of the calculation.

To use the estimator, select the area where you live from the drop-down menu, indicate whether you are a residence/farm or a business, then enter the value of your property. You can look up the value of a parcel by doing a “property search” on the Auditor’s website.

Additional Voting Information

The March 19 election is also the Ohio Primary. For President of the United States, the Pickerington ballot lists Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswarmy, Donald Trump, Chris Christy and Ron DeSantis although Ramaswamy, Christy and DeSantis have all dropped from the race.

Other contested races on the Republican ballot include, U.S. Senate, Judges for District Court of Appeals, Members of the State Central Committee and Ohio State Representative.

For Pickerington Democrats there are two contested positions: President of the United States (candidates Joe Biden and Dean Phillips) and a Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court (candidates Lisa Forbes and Terri Jamison).

To view the ballot specific to your home and political party, visit the Fairfield County Board of Elections website.

From Brett Riffle, Director of the Fairfield County Board of Elections:

“Voter registration deadline is February 20. The deadline to submit an absentee ballot request form is March 12. Early in-person voting ends on March 17. Mailed absentee ballots must be postmarked the day before the election and must be received in our office by March 23 with a valid postmark to be counted.

We’re always in need of poll workers – call (740) 652-7000 or email boardofelections@fairfieldcountyohio.gov if interested. House Bill 458 (passed December 2022) made a change to state law that voters must present photo ID to vote. This includes unexpired Ohio driver’s license and US passport – full list of acceptable ID available at the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.”