Editor’s Note: This article was updated on September 9 with a press release from Fire Chief Kenneth Justus.
MADISON TOWNSHIP — The Madison Township Board of Trustees called a special meeting Friday to officially place a new fire levy renewal on the November ballot.
The 4-mill renewal levy would generate approximately $600,000 annually for fire services over the next five years, beginning in tax year 2026. It would first be collected in 2027. The cost to property owners would remain the same: $140 per $100,000 of appraised value.
Trustees said the levy is critical to keeping emergency services running in Richland County’s largest township.
“It’s really important that people understand this is a renewal, not a replacement” said trustee Dan Fletcher.
The distinction is important. Voters have twice rejected a replacement levy, in May 2025 and in November 2024 — a decision trustees attributed in part to confusion about what the levy would actually do, and how much it would cost.
The replacement attempt was for a continuous levy first passed in 2000 and collecting revenue based on 1999 home values, which would have been permanent. The new renewal plan has a five-year expiration, which trustees say is more palatable for residents.
“People don’t want to give you free reign for the rest of your life,” said trustee Tom Craft. “They want the option to re-evaluate.”
If passed, the levy would support firefighter staffing, including payment of wages and benefits for full-time, part-time and volunteer personnel.
Fletcher emphasized the fire department has been under financial strain for years. Staffing is short, not because demand is low, but because the department simply doesn’t have the funds to hire and retain enough firefighters.
“We are very busy,” Fletcher said. “The department is understaffed because we can’t afford to staff it. That’s just the reality.”
In May, Fire Chief Ken Justus reported at a township meeting that the department responded to more than 1,000 calls so far in 2025. Calls that month included two structure fires, 169 EMS runs, and 120 people transported to local hospitals.
The department employs 15 full-time and 12 part-time firefighters, along with three captains, an administrative assistant, and the chief.
“The costs associated with running a fire department have increased dramatically over the past 25 years,” he previously told Richland Source. “We put this off as long as we could. The funds will help maintain our current services and try to grow with the community.”
If the levy fails again, trustees warned, response times could grow longer — especially given Madison Township’s size. With a population larger than Ontario, Shelby or Lexington, the township relies on its own fire department for rapid emergency response.
“If you call 911 and Madison Fire isn’t available, you might be getting someone from Mifflin or Springfield or Monroe,” Fletcher said. “We’re minutes away, and they’re more minutes away.
“That matters when someone’s having a heart attack or a house is on fire.”
(Press release from Fire Chief Kenneth Justus.)
