Batavia voters face fire levy choice on Tuesday

Residents of Batavia Township and the Village of Batavia will vote on Tuesday to determine the future structure of their local emergency medical and fire services. The ballot includes a measure for a new township fire and EMS levy that would replace the existing Central Joint Fire and EMS District (CJFED).

Jared Shouse, a firefighter with CJFED and a member of the Friends of Batavia Township Fire PAC, supports the change. He stated that the new department would ensure no personnel are laid off as the joint district dissolves. Shouse noted that the current collaborative board, which swaps majority control between the village and the township every two years, has become difficult to manage.

"We just want to maintain that," Shouse said regarding the effort to sustain current service levels. He warned that if the levy fails, the department will cut additional staffing. Shouse argued that the current political dynamic is obscuring the core issue of service capacity.

The financial impact for property owners is complex. The new township levy would add $294 per year for every $100,000 in taxable property value. However, the existing CJFED levy of $149 per $100,000 would be removed. According to data on the supporting PAC's website, this results in a net increase of approximately $145 per year for the average property owner.

Adam Craver, a village resident, expressed concern over the tax implications. "If it passes and goes to the township, then it raises everybody’s taxes a lot and a lot of people aren’t looking into that and seeing that," Craver said. He represents a group of voters who view the shift in control as a financial burden.

The opposing group, The Citizens to Save the Village of Batavia, Ohio, argues that the levy strips the village of its decision-making role. Currently, the CJFED board includes representatives from both the village and the township. Under the proposed plan, the new department would operate solely under township control, ending the joint governance structure that has been in place since the district's formation.

Both political action committees have published detailed arguments on their websites. The vote will determine whether the service remains a joint entity or becomes a standalone township department with a new tax base.