MADISON TOWNSHIP — Trustee Dan Fletcher was appointed the 2025 chair of the township trustees Monday night in their first regular meeting of the calendar year.
Vice chair for 2024 and previously serving on the trustee board for about 10 years, Fletcher estimated he’s spent about nine total years as board chair.
“I’m looking forward to appointing a new trustee and working together to improve the township financially and physically,” Fletcher said.
Tom Craft, who served as board chair in 2024, is now the vice chair. The two current trustees also agreed to assignments for 2025, including:
- Craft as the clerk pro tempore, the township’s Richland County Land Bank representative and fire department liaison.
- Fletcher as the road department liaison, temporary zoning liaison and temporary Public Employment Risk Reduction Program recordkeeper.
“The reason for the temporary appointments is so if we appoint a new trustee, we can discuss if they would be interested in those positions,” Fletcher said.
Applications for the open trustee seat are open through Jan. 14. If Fletcher and Craft find a suitable candidate, the new trustee will join the Jan. 21 meeting and serve through the end of this year.
Trustees suggest fire levy replacement for May ballots
Trustees also moved to place the 5.5-mill fire levy replacement on the May primary ballot this year, after the measure failed in November.
The continuous levy was last passed in 2000 and continues to collect at those rates. According to the Richland County Board of Elections, the fire levy replacement failed by 320 votes, with 53% of votes recorded cast against the levy.
Fire Chief Ken Justus said the levy currently collects around $680,000 annually, which is the same amount it has been collecting for about 24 years.
“The reality is, even if it passes in May, we won’t collect any additional money until 2026,” he said. “If it had passed in November, we could start collecting at the replacement rate in April, but we’re going to have to wait.”
The fire chief said he has already decreased staffing in an effort to avoid operating in a deficit.
“The union contract requires that we maintain four full-time people on each shift,” Justus said. “Part-timers are at Station One to help, but we cut it down to one part-timer most days to save money.
“We used to have four people at station 1 and two at station 2, and now we’re down to three here and two over there. I’ve been running more calls during the day to help out.”
Justus said last year the levy is collecting about 3.17 mills from current property values, which translates to about $111 per $100,000 of assessed value. According to estimates from the auditor’s office last, the levy would collect about $193 per $100,000 of current assessed property values.
Also in Monday’s meeting, trustees:
- Approved the continued payment of firefighters and EMTs at $11 per hour starting wage, and increasing at different intervals based on training and employee tenure.
- Voted to continue paying all zoning board members $20 for each zoning meeting they attend, and the zoning secretary $30 for each meeting they attend. Trustees also voted to continue Traci Trumpower’s contract as assistant fiscal officer.
- Approved firefighters Keaton Niese and Ashley Meade’s resignations.
- Approved the fire chief’s request to purchase a new MARCS radio for Medic 72 for $4,226. Medic 72 will be the first-out ambulance at station 2 on Belmont Avenue once it is stocked.
- Justus told trustees that Monroe Township and the Village of Lucas have agreed to increase their emergency services mutual aid agreement by $2,000 for 2025, for a total annual amount of $54,000 to be paid quarterly. Monroe Township trustees already agreed and signed the contract, and Madison trustees signed the contract Monday night.
- Road Superintendent Larry Weirich said he ordered 150 additional tons of road salt for the township, and that the plow truck trustees appropriated American Rescue Plan Act funds for likely won’t be ready for pick-up until the spring.
- Approved the same five individuals in 2024 who served on the volunteer fire department’s dependents fund board for certification in 2025.
