SUNBURY — Voters in Berkshire Township, Sunbury, Trenton Township and Galena will decide in November whether to renew and increase the primary operating levy for the fire district serving all four communities.
The Berkshire, Sunbury, Trenton & Galena Fire District — commonly known as the BST&G Fire District — is seeking renewal of its existing 4.85-mill levy along with a 2.5-mill increase.
Fire Chief Christopher Kovach presented the district’s case for the levy to Sunbury City Council on Sept. 16.
If approved, the combined five-year, 7.35-mill operating levy is estimated to generate about $6.07 million annually, according to an estimate from auditors.
The levy is the fire district’s primary source of operating revenue. Kovach said Berkshire Township, Sunbury, Trenton Township and Galena do not contribute general fund dollars to the district.
Today, residents pay about $81.61 annually per $100,000 of their home’s market value toward the levy. If voters approve the renewal and increase, that cost would rise by about $87.50 to $169.11 annually per $100,000 of market value.
Kovach said the district structured the ballot issue as a renewal plus an increase, rather than a replacement levy, to preserve existing state rollback credits for homeowners.
Of the existing 4.85 mills, 3 mills qualify for state rollback credits, meaning the state reimburses the district for a portion of what qualifying homeowners would otherwise pay. The remaining 1.85 mills and the proposed 2.5-mill increase do not qualify for those credits.
A replacement levy would eliminate the existing rollback credits and assess the entire levy at current property values, according to Kovach’s presentation.
The district also expects the value of those credits to increase as Ohio implements additional property tax relief measures.
Voters last approved an increase in the district’s levy in 2017. The 2022 ballot issue renewed the levy without increasing it, according to Kovach’s presentation.
Below is a look at the estimated annual cost to property owners in the four communities:
A better sense of the district’s coverage area
The BST&G Fire District currently serves an estimated 28,226 residents across its four communities, according to the Delaware County Regional Planning Commission. The district responded to 1,716 emergency calls in 2025.
“Over the last decade, emergency calls have gone up 75%,” Kovach said. “At the same time the population has increased roughly 84%.”
Additionally, overlapping calls — when firefighters are responding to one call and another emergency occurs at the same time — are up 162% since 2017, Kovach said. Fire inspection demand has also climbed 180% since 2018.
Kovach also highlighted the district’s recent expansion, including the $7 million Station 352, which BST&G shares with Delaware County EMS.
Station 352 is the second fire station within the district and was funded through a separate 0.78-mill bond issue, not the operating levy on the November ballot.
Kovach also said BST&G eventually plans to add a third station.
BST&G provides fire and rescue services and responds to medical emergencies, while Delaware County EMS provides patient transportation.
The district operates three 24-hour shifts, each staffed with two lieutenants and five full-time firefighters and EMTs.
Across its two stations, BST&G maintains a minimum daily staffing level of six personnel, with an average of seven and a maximum of nine. Kovach said the district uses part-time firefighters as needed to supplement staffing.
The district also employs two full-time fire safety inspectors and investigators.
How November’s levy would be used
The biggest thing the levy would help facilitate is staffing at Station 352.
“We don’t want to get to a point where we’d have to temporarily close the facility, they call that browning out a station,” Kovach said.
The district received about $2 million in grant money from Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) in 2024. BST&G used some of the SAFER funding to hire six firefighters.
This levy would help secure those firefighters when the three-year federal grant expires.
Other identified uses include:
- Helping facilitate National Fire Protection Association-compliant staffing for all three 24-hour shifts.
- Replacing an apparatus, fire engines, rescue and other vehicles at current prices.
- Possibly improving the district’s Insurance Services Office rating in terms of inspections, prevention, response and staffing.
- Preparing for Station 3 in 2028, if possible, as growth continues.
- Having more competitive compensation to retain staff from competing departments.
How House Bill 920 affects levy revenue
Ohio’s House Bill 920 limits how much additional property tax revenue the fire district receives when existing properties increase in value.
Under the law’s reduction factor, the effective tax rate decreases as existing property values rise through reappraisal, keeping collections from those properties closer to the amount voters originally approved.
New construction is excluded from that calculation and does generate additional revenue for the district, but at the levy’s reduced effective rate.
BST&G’s existing levy was approved at 4.85 mills but has an effective rate of about 2.52 mills in 2026, according to Kovach’s presentation.
“As the population increases, we have new houses — property values go up,” Kovach said. “They take that 4.85-mill rate and they keep reducing it down to give us the same dollar amount.
“So as property values increase, we are not capturing any of that increased money.”
The effect is also reflected in what homeowners pay. The existing levy cost about $124 annually per $100,000 of property value when the district’s last increase was approved in 2017. Today, it costs about $82 per $100,000.
With the 84% population increase, Kovach said the district is feeling this decline in revenue.
Voters renewed the levy in 2022 without an increase.
Where the decline in revenue is felt
Kovach said health insurance is the largest area he’s seen costs rise.
He said that’s due to a larger full-time staff as part-time firefighters continue to get phased out across the state.
Part-time firefighters are getting phased out because the market is so competitive. Other stations will poach part-time firefighters by offering them full-time positions.
Below is a full slide from Kovach’s presentation that shows more rising costs:
Competitive grant funding and levy history
Aside from coming to voters for funding, Kovach said the fire district has been competitive, and will continue to be, in seeking grant funding.
Since 2019, BST&G has received a little over $2.5 million in grant funding, with the largest grant in that timeframe coming from SAFER.
“We will continue to keep going after grants so it’s less that we have to burden the taxpayers with,” Kovach said. “Grants are competitive, [but] we don’t mind putting in for them and putting in the work if it saves everybody money.”
Where BST&G ranks compared to other Delaware County departments
Out of 15 departments in Delaware County, BST&G ranks 14th when it comes to cost per $100,000 of a home’s market value.
Should voters approve the renewal levy with an increase, the fire district would rank 9th.
“Some of these [fire departments on this list] are not even full-time departments,” Kovach said.
“To pay those types of dollar amounts and not have a full-time service, that’s not something I’d want to do to our community.
“That’d be a step backwards.”
