CHAMPION — Since 2015, the Champion Fire Department has provided emergency medical service to neighboring Southington Township and has approved extending that agreement for three more years.

Champion trustees on Tuesday approved the new agreement effective January 2025 through December 2027 with Southington paying $40,000 per year. Southington trustees are scheduled to meet 10 a.m. Saturday to act on the agreement.

Champion Trustee Rex Fee said as part of the agreement, which kept the cost at $40,000, Southington also will pay 7.5% of the billing fee for EMS transport of any patient from Southington. Fee said the billing provider takes 7.5% from each transport.

Both townships had fire levies on the Nov. 5 general election ballot that passed. Southington had a 1.9-mill continuous additional fire levy to generate $188,000 annually while Champion had a renewal of a 1.2-mill, five-year fire levy that generates $150,000 annually.

Champion fire Chief Tom Dempsey said previously the department has seen an increase in calls and last year, the department made 98 transports out of Southington.

Southington trustees said they will be able to staff the fire department with more firefighters since the levy passed. There is an agreement with Farmington Township to provide firefighters to staff Southington during the day.

Southington fire Chief Scott Bower has said the fire department budget is $142,000 annually and the levy will generate an additional $188,000. He said $158,000 of that is used for 12-hour staffing.

Champion Trustee Doug Emerine said with the levy passing, the fire department can put more firefighters on duty at the station, which will help Champion and the townships for which it provides mutual aid.

In other business, Fee said trustees will meet shortly to decide on placing a police levy on the 2025 primary ballot. He said the levy is needed because the police department has limited funds and costs keep increasing. He said a 1-mill levy would generate $256,000 annually.

The deadline to get an issue on the primary ballot is Feb. 5.

MAILBOX MOVE

In other matters, Trustee Doug Emerine said he will speak with the U.S. Postal Service about getting the mailbox by Overholt Pharmacy on Mahoning Avenue moved to the new township administration building.

Emerine said the mailbox could be placed in the front of the building for residents to easily drive up and drop off mail. Police Chief Larry Skaggs said there are security cameras at the administration building that can record people and vehicles to ensure safety.

He said there were issues at the current mailbox location with mail being stolen. He said people were using glue from rat and mouse traps attached to a string to pull mail out of boxes.

Skaggs said this year, thieves stole between $6,000 and $7,000 in checks for utility and other bills from mailboxes in Trumbull, Ashtabula and Columbiana counties using this method.

He said the people responsible were caught in Pennsylvania

“It makes more sense to bring the mailbox here,” trustee Rick York said.