NTFD Hones Message to Local Voters Ahead of New March Levy

Chief Cites History of Fiscal Responsibility and Service Record in the Face of Rising Costs

Hilliard and Norwich Township voters will be asked March 19 to decide on a new 4.9-mill permanent levy to meet the operating costs of the Norwich Township Fire Department.

“The demands for services, paired with rising costs, are the contributing factors that are driving this levy decision,” Norwich Fire Chief David Baird said.

If the 4.9-mill levy is approved, it would cost a homeowner an additional $172 annually per $100,000 property evaluation, and would generate an estimated $9.2 million annually, according to the Franklin County Auditor’s Office.

Norwich Township staffs and equips three stations- Station 81 at 5181 Northwest Parkway, adjacent to the Franklin County Fairgrounds; Station 82, at 2491 Walker Road, in Brown Township; and Station 83 at 4283 Davidson Road.

Norwich Township plans to open a fourth fire station on 3.5 acres on Alton Darby Creek Road purchased from the City of Hilliard for $1 and within the city’s 125-acre campus for athletic fields and a 105,000-square foot, $106.3 million Recreation and Wellness Campus set to open in mid-2025.

Baird said the levy will allow the fire department to increase staffing levels and improve response times by adding a fourth ambulance and a second ladder truck.

“Additionally, it will allow the department to continue to maintain current and future equipment and buildings, pay employee wages and benefits, construct a fourth fire station, expand and develop new community programs, and to maintain our ISO Class 1 rating,” Baird said.

Insurance companies use ISO ratings to set home and business owner’s insurance rates.

Norwich Township is one of only five departments in Ohio to achieve a Class 1 rating, Baird said.

The Norwich Township Fire Department consists of 93 full-time firefighters at three stations and includes an administrative staff of five who manage prevention programs and services, personnel training, and emergency medical services.

As an example of the rise in operating costs, Baird said a fire engine in 2013 cost taxpayers $469,446.

Today, a new fire engine can take up to four years to build and cost approximately $1.2 million, Baird said.

An ambulance in 2013 cost $211,000; today an ambulance is approximately $324,124, according to Baird.

Voters last approved a new permanent levy in 2013.

“Norwich Township has a tremendous history of fiscal responsibility while remaining a leader in the fire service. Our last levy, passed in 2013, was projected to provide funding for seven years. We are now entering year eleven and have far exceeded that projection due to the mindfulness of elected officials and staff members remaining fiscally responsible with taxpayer money.”
— Norwich Fire Chief David Baird

The Hilliard Beacon is making the levy known to its readers.

Norwich Township will also communicate the levy in several ways, Baird said.

A letter has been posted on Norwich Township’s website and social media, and a version of it will be in our Township Newsletter in February, according to Baird.

“The fire department will host informational sessions several times throughout February and March in the Safety Services building,” but as of Jan. 24, the dates had not been set yet, Baird said.

Norwich Township Fire Department

“We will also visit some of our communities with less mobile residents (such as Stone Oak and Wellington Village) to answer any questions that residents may have,” Baird said.

The firefighters union will make door-to-door visits, send mailers, and have yard signs available.

Dates for the informational sessions will be communicated when known.