In Southwest Ohio, 11 communities will decide this Election Day whether to start paying more taxes to support first responders.
Some local governments say the outcome of their new or additional levy vote will determine the future of their fire or police departments.
See below for an explanation of each proposal. Levy calculators and information are available in Butler, Clermont and Hamilton counties, for voters to see how current and future levies add to their bills.
Click to jump to your village, city or township:
Batavia Township
College Corner
Fairfield Township
Forest Park
Hanover Township
Lockland
Madison Township
New Miami
Turtlecreek Township
Union Township
Washington Township
Batavia Township
The Batavia Township community will vote on an 8.4-mill levy this Election Day that would support a new fire department’s equipment and salaries, generating about $7.2 million each year. Township documents cite budget shortfalls in the current joint fire department with the Village of Batavia. The district announced cuts after voters turned down a larger levy in May. If this levy passes, the township would leave the shared district and start its own fire department in 2028, the same year the indefinite levy would start costing homeowners. For someone in a $100,000 home, it would add $294 to their bill each year.
College Corner
The village in both Butler and Preble counties is seeking to renew a levy that was first established in 1976 but expired in 2025. It aims to support firefighting equipment and salaries. The 5.2-mill levy would last another five years, and the first bill would be due in 2027. Estimated to collect about $12,000 annually, someone owning a $100,000 home could expect to pay $29 a year if the levy is approved. The village’s two other fire levies, amounting to another 1.8 mills, are set to expire next year.
Fairfield Township
For the second time this year, the Fairfield Township Police District is asking voters to consider a 2.99-mill indefinite levy to support police cars and salaries, among other things. The only other police levy residents pay now is a continuing one passed in 2000, set at 5.9-mills. If this year’s measure succeeds, residents in a $100,000 house can expect to pay $105 each year, starting in 2027. It would generate nearly $2.46 million each year. After residents defeated the same police levy in May, township trustees discussed needing to make significant cuts to the department next year.
Forest Park
The City of Forest Park is asking residents to pass a 3.9-mill fire and EMS levy that would generate more than $2 million each year. It would be indefinite, with the first bill due in 2027. The levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $137 each year. City Manager Don Jones has said it’s necessary because the fire department’s revenue is stagnant.
Hanover Township
The Hanover Township community will decide once again this year whether to give its fire district another $1.14 million per year, through a 3.5-mill levy. The money would go toward salaries and equipment, with residents first paying the extra sum in 2027. For a $100,000 home, the levy would amount to $123. It would expire after five years. The township’s only existing fire and EMS levy expired in 2025. This is Hanover Township’s third attempt to pass another one, and this time it’s a smaller proposal. The fire district names aging equipment and rising costs as the reasons why a levy is necessary.
Lockland
Voters in the Village of Lockland will either approve or deny a levy that would add slightly more than $601,000 toward maintaining fire and EMS services. The 8-mill levy would cost residents $280 per year for every $100,000 of property value. It would not have an expiration date, and the added cost would first impact residents in 2027.
Madison Township
The Madison Township Fire District is hopeful residents will renew a 3-mill, five-year levy that expires this year. If they do, it would support more than $877,000 of the department’s budget to pay for equipment and firefighter salaries. As before, the levy would cost homeowners $73 for every $100,000 in property value, starting in 2028. There are two other existing levies in the township, amounting to another 3-mills, that are not set to expire. Township trustee Jeff Willoughby has said call response times could increase to 30 minutes if the levy is not approved.
New Miami
Residents of the Village of New Miami will have the chance to vote on two emergency services levies this Election Day. A 5-mill levy for police would last five years and cost homeowners $175 for every $100,000 in property value. It’s estimated to bring the village around $154,000 annually, and Police Chief Dan Bower said it would help his department replace old equipment, although he said he would figure out how to get by if voters don’t approve the measure. In 2022, a similar levy failed to pass. The village already has one continual 5-mill police levy that passed in 2001.
Voters will also decide on an additional 3-mill fire levy that would generate about $93,000 annually to help pay for equipment and salaries. Unlike the police levy, New Miami’s fire levy bill would be first due in 2028 and would last indefinitely. Someone living in a $100,000 house could expect to pay $105 each year. It would replace an existing 2-mill fire levy that voters have renewed since 2012. Residents are also currently paying a 6-mill one-time fire levy that will expire in 2028.
Turtlecreek Township
Turtlecreek Township voters will vote on a 4.5-mill levy on Election Day that would generate about $3.6 million for the fire department. The levy would not have an expiration date. For a $100,000 home, it would cost the owner $158 annually beginning next year. The last levy passed in 2008. Fire Chief JonPaul Campbell has said it will be necessary for the department, citing building expenses.
Union Township
If Union Township voters approve a 1.99-mill fire levy this November, the new tax would add $3.1 million to the Central Joint Fire and EMS district each year. The indefinite levy would first affect residents in 2027, costing $70 for every $100,000 of their home value.
Washington Township
Washington Township voters will vote on a 5.5-mill levy this year to support the fire department’s equipment and salaries. It would cost a homeowner with a $100,000 house $193 each year, and expire after five years. The first bill with the new levy would come in 2027, and it would collectively generate close to $423,000. Chief Jim Haas told WCPO his department would likely have to go fully part-time if the levy fails.
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