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McDONALD – Village residents are being asked to support a 4.5-mill five-year emergency safety services levy on the November general election ballot to provide needed funding for the fire and police departments.
The levy is projected to generate around $310,000 annually.
The additional levy would cost property owners roughly $159 per year for assessed property value of $100,000.
Funds will be used for maintaining services, including round-the-clock fire and EMS staffing, as department costs rise.
The levy will also provide funds to cost cover day‑to‑day operating costs, wages and equipment needs for the village's fire department, police department, and emergency medical services.
Police Chief Ryan Ronghi said village police officers have not received a cost-of-living adjustment since 2023 making it harder to keep officers who go elsewhere for more money or to attract people to work in the village.
Increased wages will help attract staff to McDonald and have them stay in the village, he added.
He said fewer people are preparing for careers as police officers compared to years ago.
“There is a smaller and smaller pool of candidates for all police departments. We are all competing to get them. We can’t afford to pay what other communities are paying,” he said.
Ronghi said recently an officer left for the Liberty police department.
The department has four full-time officers including the chief. One sergeant, one captain and one part-time officer also are on the force.
He said the department pays officers $26 per hour to start while other departments start at over $31 per hour.
Ronghi said the police department budget in 2025 was $600,000.
He said the cost for police vehicles also has increased from $65,000 five years ago to now more than $85,000.
“The levy is so important. I have lived here for 35 years. The well has run dry. We need to pass the levy so we can pay and be competitive to what other police departments are paying,” Ronghi said.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Fire Chief Fred Marcum said the department staffs the community seven days a week providing 16 hours of coverage from 8 a.m. to midnight, but demand is increasing.
He said the cost volume for the fire department is increasing with the goal to provide 24-hour service seven days a week if the levy passes.
In 2025, Marcum said the fire department responded to nearly 550 calls with many mutual aid calls because many area fire departments face a shortage of firefighters.
Marcum said the cost of vehicles and equipment has also greatly increased.
He said firefighter protective gear that needs replaced every 10 years costs more than $5,000 and a fire truck costs about $1 million.
Marcum said since he became chief in December 2022, the department has provided coverage every day to the community.
Marcum said firefighters make $18 per hour in McDonald while fire departments are paying $22 and $23 per hour in Austintown, Vienna and Girard. He said the goal is to be able to increase wages to get more staff.
He said that like the police department, fire department members have not had an increase since 2023 and are not paid as much as firefighters in other communities.
He said the fire rooster has 22 to 23 firefighters with a goal of 31 if the levy passes.
Marcum said his budget of $258,000 allows for staffing of the department from between 8 a.m., to midnight, He said $316,360 is the amount needed to staff the department for 24 hours each day.
He said ambulance runs are billed to the resident’s insurance.
Marcum said fire gear lasts 10 years and then needs replaced. He said to train someone to be a firefighter or paramedic takes two years at a cost of $5,000.
“Passage of this levy is important but it will only be a small Band-Aid,” Marcum said.