Council agrees to put levy on ballot

Wickliffe voters will be asked to approve a 3-mill fire and safety levy in the upcoming election.

After much deliberation, Council agreed to put the levy on the Nov. 6 ballot, at its most recent meeting.

“We went back and forth quite a bit debating whether we should do a roads levy or should we do capital improvements,” Mayor John Barbish said. “Initially we were hoping to do one levy that encompassed roads and capital improvements and have it be a permanent levy. However, the way Ohio laws are structured, we weren’t able to accomplish that. So,we got back around the table and discussed it again.”

Barbish said a fire and safety levy is much needed.

“We know we wanted money for obviously for capital improvement like vehicles and for roads, but by doing this and supplying more money to the police and fire, it’s going to free up more money in the general fund to help with road projects,” he said. ”The 3-mill levy is expected to generate about $800,000 total, which the police department and the fire department uses well over that every single year.”

If it passes, the levy could help pay police and fire salaries, in addition to capital improvement for the departments.

“So it’s going to help us keep our safety forces where they are at, but also help with setting aside money for a new ladder truck,” he said. “We’re also in the process of purchasing an ambulance.”

Other capital projects may include the police and detective cars and some of the basic fire fighter vehicles and equipment they need.

“We’re still exploring other ideas as time goes on that we will probably talk about next year, but we felt that was the best way to approach it at this point,” Barbish said. “Those are two of our most expensive and most important departments and we want to keep them running top-notch and operate efficiently.”