In November, residents will vote on a property tax increase that would help pay for additional firefighters -- including those in a proposed new fifth fire station in the center of town -- and firefighter-paramedic equipment.
City Council, in a unanimous vote Monday (July 28), placed the 2.5-mill tax levy on the November ballot. If passed, the additional taxes would allow the city to hire 20 additional full-time firefighter-paramedics, increasing the total number to 81, and buy new equipment. Levy money would not help pay for construction of the fifth fire station, according to council President Matt Schonhut. However, Councilman Jim Kaminski said the city has not ruled out setting aside some new taxes for station construction.
“Our fire department is understaffed,” Schonhut told cleveland.com in an email. “Our call volume is continuously trending up, while our staff remains steady.”