BOARDMAN — Township trustees on Monday passed resolutions to place three levies on the November ballot — one new and two renewals.

Most of the discussion centered on the proposed levy to pay for improved ambulance service in the township. The new levy for ambulance service “will allow us to properly, completely serve our Boardman residents with fire and EMS services,” trustee Tom Costello said.

If passed, the five-year levy would raise $4.5 million annually and cost the owner of a $100,000 home approximately $108 per year.

The township used to have 11 ambulance companies serving its residents, but that number is now down to two after the majority of ambulance companies went out of business, Costello said. “The need is definitely there” for additional EMS coverage, he added.

The township owns only one ambulance staffed with trained EMS personnel, according to Boardman fire Chief Mark Pitzer. The ambulance was purchased late last year.

“It is very challenging and difficult as a first responder to be on a medical call and waiting for an ambulance to get there and not knowing where an ambulance is coming from. It puts our people in a vulnerable spot. It’s very tough to see somebody who’s in trouble and needs intervention and not be able to provide that service,” Pitzer said.

The new ambulance has made 160 transports since January, Pitzer said, and was on track to make 300 by the end of the year. A dozen firefighters attended the meeting in support of the EMS levy.

“Our firefighters feel compelled to make a change, knowing that all we need is a little support from the community,” Pitzer said.

“If the Boardman taxpayers graciously allow us to proceed with this (levy), Boardman taxpayers will be ‘soft billed, meaning we will only accept what the insurance companies pay and not bill (taxpayers) the difference,” Costello said.

Non-Boardman residents who use township ambulances will be billed the full cost of service.

“That way we take care of our taxpayers, our citizens,” Costello said.

“You never want to be in the position when you pick up the phone and dial 911 and no one shows up,” Pitzer said. “We want to make sure that someone on their worst day, when they call us, we get there.”

The township also contracts with Lane LifeTrans ambulance service.

Trustees also approved placing on the ballot renewal of a .03-mill road and bridge levy that would cost taxpayers 30 cents per $100,000 of home value. This levy goes back to the ’70s, Costello said.

Trustees also supported a resolution for the Boardman Park Board to place a levy renewal on the November ballot.

Liam Jones, a Boardman Township park commissioner, thanked trustees for their support. It is one of two new important levies for cash flow, Jones said, and would bring in approximately $570,000 for park operations, he added, or about 38% of the park budget.

“For a park that sees hundreds of thousands of visitors a year,” Jones said, the levy covers maintenance, upkeep and new projects, “to keep everything green.” The levy would cost taxpayers approximately $21 for every $100,000 of home valuation, he said. The levy is not a new tax; it has been in place since 1983.

Boardman police Chief Todd Werth updated the trustees on the Boardman “Drive to Succeed Scholarship Program” which received a $147,885 grant over two years starting in May. The money is earmarked to help high school students in need pay for the cost of driving lessons and getting a license. There are 18 students enrolled in the program, Werth said, noting Boardman police are working with high school guidance counselors to determine eligibility.