Where do we go from here

Last week’s election had a mixed message, one that can be interpreted several ways. There was enough support for increased funding of the fire department to place a levy on the ballot and a certain level of support at the ballot box. However, there was clearly enough opposition to defeat that levy as it was structured as well.

One thing that I think is quite clear is that without working together, we will get no where. No new money, no solid plan, no communication. And probably most importantly, no level of comfort or trust from the community.

So, I am committed to working with all our stakeholders to reach a consensus regarding the operation of the fire department. But I can’t have that conversation with myself so it is just as important (not more important, not less important) that those other community stakeholders be willing to work with me. That means compromise on both parts. I am confident that compromise can occur without impairing community safety, and in the end our citizens can be assured that fire and rescue services will continue to be of the highest quality.

In that spirit, I have reached out to the City of Sylvania and I have reached out to Safe Sylvania about where we go from here. I have spoken to numerous people involved and plan to speak to more as the next few weeks pass. Fire safety in Sylvania will be maintained, and I am committed to bringing stability to our fire services.

On the bright side, our new Fire Chief Fred Welsh will have the opportunity to show the community what he sees as his vision for the fire department. He brings with him 30+ years of fire fighting experience and has a lot of new ideas and a fresh perspective. He is without the lingering distrust that may still be around after the rough road to the election. I look forward to giving the community an opportunity to see the experience, knowledge, and enthusiasm Chief Welsh has shown the trustees. Being able to give Chief Welsh the opportunity to help formulate a plan for the fire department is perhaps the only positive result from this recent election debacle.

DeeDee Liedel,
Sylvania Township Trustee

Important Election for Sylvania

The Sylvania area faces an important election next Tuesday. Three fire levy issues will be on the ballot, as well as a contested Fiscal Officer race.

How much more can you afford?

Many people have accused me of being opposed to all taxes. This is not true. However, my level of justification for additional taxes is quite high. It is not each individual tax levy that I oppose. In and of themselves, each levy that Sylvania voters will be facing November 6, be it COSI, the Metroparks, the Library, TARTA, and even all three fire levies can easily be justified by supporters citing helpful statistics.

But as a whole, our property taxes are becoming more and more of a burden, and I believe they are detrimental to continuing to build and maintain a quality residential and commercial community in Sylvania.

Taxes in the Sylvania area already exceed 2% of the value of our homes. The 7.5 mills of tax requests on our ballet this election will push that up even more. By comparison, Monclova Township is 1.53% of assessed value; Maumee - 1.79%, Perrysburg Township - 1.73%, and Evergreen School District in Amboy Township (Metamora, Ohio) - 1.51%. These are all "Excellent" rated school districts, they all have access to the amenities of northwest Ohio; they all share the same level of state taxation.

These are the communities that Sylvania competes with for quality employers and residents, yet they are not faced with the tax hike that we are. So, when looking at tax levies, whether they are new or replacement or renewals, I look not just at who is asking and what is promised to be done with the revenue, but at what is our overall tax burden.

In all, there is $618 at issue for my family, over 10% of our property taxes. Each seperate levy is asking for a 50% to 100% increase in funding. Words such as 'mere', 'only', and 'just' are used to describe each levy but I don't consider $618 to be a meager amount.

So, when you vote next Tuesday, and are faced with a "yes" or "no" vote on seven different levies, think not only of what each individual levy is promising, but ask yourself "How much more can I afford?"

What is a safe service level?

Two years ago, I told voters that I believed we could run the township more efficiently - in other words, we can continue to provide the same level of service to our community but at a lower cost.

Today, I am more confident than ever that we can run the township more efficiently. We are doing it now, in several of the departments. Our efforts so far have included a tax holiday in the police department and increased services in the road department with no tax increases.

But to run the fire department more efficiently we have to be able to implement sound policies, exercise management rights to create a more productive work environment, and utilize and leverage resources to the best benefit of the township. Simply put, we need the union to work with us, and not demand unnecessary, unproductive, and costly practices that only enhances the union's coffers and not the services provided.

Let's look at some of the accusations Safe Sylvania is making to support their accusation that we aren't safe:

• They say: Two first responders were taken out of service when we reduced staffing from 57 to 52. When you calculate in sick time, vacation time, and Kelly days, our reduction in staff amounted to about 1.25 persons per day. How could that 1.25 persons drive two vehicles at one time? We removed from service a non-life threatening transport unit, a service that is now provided via contracts managed by the Lucas County EMS.
  
• They say: Fire inspections are two years behind, and thus jeopardizing the safety of our community. Our new Fire Chief is implementing a plan to inspect all 2,400 commercial structures in our community every year with current staff. If our Fire Chief says this can be done now, why wasn't it done before? There were 2,248 inspections in 2005 and 1,655 in 2006. If (and that is a big 'if' in my opinion) we are 2 years behind, the problem did not occur in 2007 and the trustees should have been told about it. Instead, you only hear this when the firefighters are trying to convince you that Sylvania is not safe.
• They say: "The 1.5 mil levy amount will return staffing back to previous levels and allow for equipment repair and replacement, including return of the Fire Department transport service." The township has done various scenarios regarding funding levels at a 1.5 mill level. Our reviews show that 1.5 mill will pay for either additional staff or replace equipment. It won't do both. When I have asked them for their projections to support their statements of what their levies will pay for, they tell me they don't have any. They are making unrealistic promises with no way to be held accountable.
• They say: Rehiring 5 firefighters will put us closer to national staffing standards. Yes, it will put us closer - by one person per day. But according to our Fire Chief that one additional person will not enable us to respond to any more emergency medical situations or fires than we do today, it will just put one more due's paying member in the union ranks. In addition, they are comparing apples to oranges in order to scare you in to supporting more taxes by saying we have 14 firefighters on duty but need 21. In fact, we have 17-18 firefighters assigned to each shift, with a guaranteed minimum staffing of 14. Their reference to a recommended 21 does not mean a minimum of 21 on duty.

Truth is, they have no support to say that we are not safe today. Response times have remained consistent at an average of 4:17, 45 seconds to four minutes faster than other suburban fire departments in our area. Staffing levels are mandated by the union contract and can not be reduced. Our community continues to receive quality, efficient and responsive emergency medical transportation through agreements with the Lucas County Emergency Medical Services Agency.

The bottom line is that when you call 911 with a medical or fire emergency, we respond. When you call with a concern about an odor, we respond. When you call because an elderly resident has fallen and is unable to get back in to bed, we respond. When you call because you're unable to remove a ring or get a cat out of a tree, we respond. Service has not decreased. We are simply using the resources (your tax dollars) more efficiently in providing fire and EMS services to you, your family, and your visitors.

It's a union effort (in my opinion)

Supporters for a Safe Sylvania have been adamant in its contention that it is not a union effort to control the direction of the Fire Department. I disagree. Over the last year, I have taken the opportunity to observe certain actions and have come to what I believe is a logical conclusion that unions are a major force behind trying to convince the Sylvania community that we are not safe.

Let's review some basic facts about Safe Sylvania that their co-chair readily admits to:

• 40% of the petitions circulated by Supporters for a Safe Sylvania to put their 1.5 mill levies on the ballot were circulated by union members or their spouses.
• 60% of the funds raised during the most recent reporting period were contributed by union-related organizations or union members/spouses. (Compare this to the community effort supporting the May 2005 fire levies where only $1,500 of $17,000 raised for the campaign came from a union.)
• A noted local union attorney, Joseph J. Allotta, is the group's treasurer.
• Three unions, a union trade group and a union PAC have endorsed their efforts, including, thousands of dollars of financial support from Local 2243 of the IAFF, the union that represents our firefighters.
• The committee's attorney, Keith Wilkowski, interchangeably uses the phrases "my clients" and "the firefighters" in email correspondence with a local elected official.

Two and a half years ago, all of the support for the levy campaign came from the local community - businesses and residents who chose to support an unprecedented expansion of the fire department. This election we have various unions from outside Sylvania putting major money in to a campaign in order to avoid losing their grip on even one small part of the government.

Don't be fooled by their protests that this has nothing to do with the union. For decades, in governments all through out Lucas County, unions have been pandered to in order to get their support and avoid controversy. Now, Pam and I have stood up to the union, and the union community is doing every thing they can to thwart our efforts to bring responsible government to Sylvania.

Who do you want running Sylvania Township? Experienced business and government professionals, or the union? I urge you to vote "NO" on issues 5 and 20, the 1.5 mill fire levies supported by the unions.

Perry for Fiscal Officer

The township would benefit from the experience, knowledge and financial background of Ken Perry as Fiscal Officer. Ken has 30+ years of experiencing in the banking industry, and has first hand knowledge of the duties and obligations of the Fiscal Officer. I encourage you to vote for Ken Perry for Fiscal Officer.

Thank you for joining me in this township update. I encourage you to forward it on to other township residents and businesses.

Sincerely,

DeeDee Liedel
Sylvania Township Trustee