On Tuesday, voters in Scioto Township approved a 3.25-mill replacement levy for fire services.

The levy is a replacement of a fire protection levy that was last passed in 2017. Last month, Scioto Township Fire Chief Marvin McIntire said the levy was necessary to continue the department’s current operations. He added the levy’s passage would result in expanded services.

According to the Delaware County Board of Elections’ unofficial results, the levy passed with 1,471 (75.13%) votes in support and 487 votes (24.87%) in opposition.

McIntire said Thursday he’s “pretty ecstatic about the result.”

“I sent a message to my guys yesterday, and I was kind of at a loss for words,” McIntire said. “To pass a levy at that rate is unbelievable. That tells me that we told our story and showed what our plans were.”

McIntire said he looked back at the previous seven replacement levies the fire department passed, and those levies were approved by an average of about 63% of the votes.

“I’ve never seen (75%) around here,” McIntire said. “It’s phenomenal to be able to talk about it this morning. I think our community is behind us. Every time I’ve gone out, I always talk to people, and I know my guys were doing the same thing because we wanted to make sure the public knew and understood. Everyone I talked to said whatever we needed, they supported us. I never ran into much opposition.”

McIntire said the levy will go towards paying for current services, maintenance and repairs, and he added the fire department plans to offer daytime fire coverage starting next summer.

“Starting June 1, 2023, we will provide daytime coverage from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week,” McIntire said.

He added the ability to provide daytime coverage would not have been possible without the support of the community.

“Thank you for the community support,” McIntire said. “To pass a replacement with 75% … there’s not enough words to say. We’re thankful, and it’s obvious that the community supported the fire department.”

The five-year levy takes effect next year and will cost homeowners $114 a year per $100,000 of valuation.