A fair question I’ve heard is this:
“The township just built a brand-new fire station. If they can afford that, why do they need a levy?”
It’s a good question — and the new building is a visible sign that township officials are working to meet the community’s needs. But it’s also important to understand the difference between capital projects like rebuilding a station 321 and ongoing operational costs like staffing, equipment, and rising expenses.
Let’s break it down.
Renovate or Rebuild?
The old fire station was built in 1989 to serve a volunteer department. It had been in service for 35 years. Could it have been stretched further? I’m not the best authority on that — but I’d encourage you to talk to the firefighters who slept there. They say it was bad.
Architects told the township that renovating the old building would cost about $3.5 million. The new facility cost $6.25 million and delivered modern functionality and long-term benefits.
When you consider expected lifespan — say 20 years for a renovation and 50 years for a new build — the new station actually costs less per year and provides better service capacity. That’s smart long-term planning.
No Bond Levy, No New Taxes
Here’s where it gets especially important: the township did not raise taxes to pay for the new building.
They used available financing through the Delaware County Finance Authority, which offers tax-exempt bonds at low rates to government entities. This is money that cannot legally be used for day-to-day operating expenses like salaries or medical supplies.
The station was financed at 2% interest through 2035, with annual payments of just over $500,000. And again — no bond levy was placed on the ballot. That’s rare fiscal discipline.
The Big Picture: A Small Slice of the Budget
If we set aside whether the building was urgently needed, some may still ask: “Couldn’t the township have delayed the project and avoided the need for a levy?” But the numbers show that the cost of Station 321 is not driving this levy request.
To put it in perspective: the new 2.4 mill levy is expected to generate about $6.7 million in its first year. The annual payment for the new fire station is about $500,000 — which works out to just 0.2 mills. That’s less than one-tenth of the levy on the ballot.
And it’s even clearer when you view it visually.
This chart shows Liberty Township’s fire & EMS per capita expenses by category. The red bars represent operating expenses, orange shows other capital spending, and yellow is the small portion allocated to Station 321. The green dashed line? That’s per capita revenue, which has remained relatively flat (the decline in 2024 is the expiration of grant money used to hire staff in 2020).
Even with the new station included, the real story here is rising costs — not extravagant capital spending. The station is a modest, responsible investment, not a luxury pushing the township beyond its means.
Bottom Line
• The new station was the more cost-effective option compared to renovation.
• It was financed responsibly, with no new taxes and no bond levy.
• And while it may look impressive, it makes up a relatively small part of the fire department’s overall costs.
There’s more to unpack, and I’ll keep sharing posts that dig into the data and tradeoffs. Thanks for following along — I welcome your questions any time.
Cultivated Resilience 
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