LEWIS CENTER — The Orange Township Board of Trustees unanimously approved a measure to place a fire levy on the November ballot at its regular meeting on July 19.

This was a “Resolution to Proceed” with the levy. The language was “Resolution to Proceed with submission of the question of levying a(n) additional tax in excess of the ten-mill limitation for the purpose of providing Fire and EMS services.”

The fire levy is 2 mills for three years. The resolution, obtained by The Gazette, said, “The levy’s estimated effective rate … in dollars for each $100,000 of the (Delaware County) Auditor’s appraised value … is: $70.”

The resolution said the levy would generate $9,831,000 over three years “for providing and maintaining fire apparatus, mechanical resuscitators, underwater rescue and recovery equipment, or other fire equipment and appliances, buildings and sites … communications … personnel … for the purchase of ambulance equipment…”

On July 5, the trustees had approved a “Resolution of Necessity” for an Orange fire levy, the first of the two-step process for putting a levy on the ballot. On Wednesday, Trustee Erica Fouss thanked the fire department for helping the residents during their worst moments, as well as making a child’s day by allowing them on their equipment while enjoying a treat at the new Whit’s location in Lewis Center.

Orange’s fire department was founded in 1951. At that time, it was all volunteer. Nathan McNeil was appointed fire chief in 2021.

“The Orange Township Fire Department (OTFD) carries out fire inspections, conducts fire safety education, and provides EMS services,” said its webpage.

The department offers car seat inspections, extinguisher training, smoke detectors, and information on home hazards and fire alarms. It also offers CPR and first aid training, with the next Basic CPR Course on Aug. 12.

OTFD has two stations, one in Delaware (near U.S. 23) and one in Lewis Center at the corner of Orange and Old State roads. For more information, visit www.orangetwp.org.

Also at the July 19 meeting, the trustees approved a solid waste bid by Rumpke Waste & Recycling by a 2-1 vote. Rumpke representative Blake Austin said Orange is in a joint agreement with Genoa and Liberty townships, and the contract will expire at the end of January. “Rumpke was the only bidder,” the township’s journal of actions said.

Currently, the cost for Orange residents for weekly trash removal is $16.93 per household, per month. It will go up to $19.04 monthly, which was the lowest of three options offered. Genoa and Liberty had already approved the lowest options as well. The other options included yard waste services at $25.04 monthly. The cost was higher because the yard waste would have to be hauled to London, Ohio. It was said there were two to three other composting facilities in Delaware County, but they couldn’t handle a high volume.

However, Rumpke said it would offer customers a large 65- or 96-gallon green cart with a lid instead of the two red bins for recycling. This was said to be safer and more efficient for the company, which is building one of the largest recycling plants in the country at 5th Avenue in Columbus. Other numbers mentioned were 27,000 Orange residential customers that produced 10,000 tons of trash in 2022, with 15% of it being yard waste. It was noted that 83% of residents would prefer a cart to the bins and that 25% already have the carts, and that not all customers are using their bins for recycling. Rumpke said it would let customers know what items can be recycled.

There was an executive session in part “To Consider the Sale of Property in Accordance With Section 505.10 of the Revised Code to Prevent Premature Disclosure of Information that Would Give an Unfair Bargaining Advantage to a Person Whose Private Interest is Adverse to the General Public Interest.”

Lastly, the township will have a blood drive on Aug. 31 in the Township Hall, 1680 East Orange Road, Lewis Center. In addition, the trustees said the American Red Cross has opened a blood donation center at 380 Hills-Miller Road, Delaware.

Assistant Editor Gary Budzak covers the eastern half of Delaware County and surrounding areas. He may be reached at [email protected].