Economy

📍 Strongsville voters to decide 1-mill fire levy for 12 more firefighter-paramedics

Strongsville, Ohio • October 25, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

Editorial illustration: a fire station under construction in an Ohio suburb

Illustration: Press Pass USA

Strongsville voters will decide November 3 whether to approve Issue 103, an additional, continuing 1-mill property tax levy to fund fire equipment, firefighting personnel and emergency medical services — estimated to generate about $2.3 million a year, or $35 per $100,000 of a home's market value.

The goal is to hire 12 additional firefighter-paramedics to strengthen staffing across the city and in a new fifth fire station, according to the city's levy campaign. The fifth station, under construction near Royalton and Pearl Roads, is scheduled to open in April 2027; its roughly $10 million construction cost is paid with notes and bonds, not levy money.

Demand is the argument: emergency calls grew from about 2,400 in 2004 to roughly 7,200 in 2025, and the department's average response time has climbed to 6 minutes and 55 seconds — beyond the 4-minute national standard cited by the campaign. Cleveland.com's reporting puts the increase more narrowly at 13.7% since 2019, from 6,422 calls to 7,299 in 2025, with nearly 70% of incidents EMS calls.

The levy is much smaller than measures voters rejected before: Strongsville sought 2.5 mills in November 2020 and 2 mills in May 2021, and both failed. The new levy is not restricted to the 12 positions — revenue could also be used for equipment, ambulances, buildings and other Fire Department expenses.

Sources: Ohio Mayors Alliance, November 3 ballot guide (Oct 2026); cleveland.com via Daily Dispatch (2026); Strongsville Issue 103 campaign site.