By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Fire protection fees for four townships being served by the Decatur Fire Department are going up again next year, although by a smaller percentage than this year.
The increases are an ongoing effort by the city to “catch up” after years of stagnant fees.
Following some discussion at its latest meeting, the city’s board of works and safety agreed on a 1% increase for 2027. That’s 1% of the city’s fire department budget.
“It’s just a matter of everyone paying their fair share,” Mayor Dan Rickord said at the meeting. “As of now, people in the city are subsidizing those outside.”
The fire protection rates were boosted a year ago from 6% of the city’s fire department budget to 9% for the current year.
The increases followed the discovery that the charges had been unchanged since some time in the 1970s.
The four townships were providing just 10% of the city’s fire department budget while 20% of the city’s fire (and some medical) runs were being made to those four townships: Root, Union, St. Marys and Washington.
When the 3% was added on for 2026, it was made clear that more increases were in the future.
“We decided to raise it (the fees) a bit each year,” the mayor said at that time.
Rickord pointed out that the 1% increase would probably amount to an extra $4,000 for Root Township, $3,000 more for Washington, and an additional $2,000 each for Union and St. Marys.
The department’s budget for this year amounts to $1,154,546.00.
Clerk-treasurer Eran Hackman said she should would notify the trustees of the four townships “so they can budget accordingly.”
At an earlier meeting, Decatur Fire Chief Jeff Sheets released
statistics which showed the department’s total run volume for 2025 was 683, as follows:
City, 536; Root, 66; Union, 20; St. Marys, 24; Washington, 31. (Note: 6 other runs were for mutual aid.)
Current fire contract fees are as follows:
St. Marys Twp.: $11,934.23.
Union Twp.: $10,608.25.
Root Twp.: $25,124.48.
Washington Twp.: $18,564.36.
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