The City is considering options to fund the Fire and EMS operational needs of the Fire Department. The existing 9 mill fire levy expires in November, 2024. Currently, the Fire Department is staffed with a combination of full-time and part-time Fire / EMS personnel. Lebanon, like other departments in the region, is experiencing challenges associated with the part-time staffing model as available part-time staff have greatly reduced over the past several years. This has a direct impact on service levels in the City. The City is considering two different funding models to place on the November, 2023 General Election Ballot. The first model would increase the fire levy property tax by 2 mills as a replacement levy. The second option would shift a portion of the Fire Department funding to the City’s Income Tax, and reduce the property taxes for residents and businesses. Under this option, the City’s income tax would increase from 1.0% to 1.5%, which is still below average for the region, and the fire levy property tax would be decreased by 3 mills. This would lower the total tax burden for homeowners on a fixed income, and also lower the total combined taxes (property and income tax) for many of the residents who are already paying an income tax of 1.5% or greater to a surrounding community where they work. Under this option, the lowering of the total tax burden for many residents is accomplished by increasing the City income tax which is paid by the approximately 11,000 of individuals who don’t live in Lebanon, but work in Lebanon and utilize our Fire / EMS services. The presentation slides linked below provide additional information about the City’s Fire / EMS operations, as well as details associated with each funding option. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the City Manager’s Office at 513-228-3101.
Presentation SlidesView the Recording of the Fire/EMS Operations Funding Presentation & Public Discussion