Issue 103: A Safer Strongsville
Keep Strongsville Safe
You may have seen this around town
Vote YES on Issue 103
- Faster emergency response
- More firefighter-paramedics
- Better citywide coverage
Less than 35¢ a day for the average Strongsville home.
Based on a $350,000 market-value home; actual cost varies by property value.
A Strongsville story
“Time was of the essence, and these guys were there. They saved her life.”
Cody & Gianna Calhoun, Strongsville Father & Daughter
Gianna Calhoun doesn’t remember riding her e-bike in her neighborhood June 19. She doesn’t remember hitting the pothole that would send her flying over the handlebars, landing head-first on the pavement.
She does know who helped save her life that day. Gianna, 11, and her dad, Cody, visited Fire Station 2 on Howe Road Oct. 20 to meet some of the paramedics who provided life-saving care and gave her a chance to start the long road to recovery.
Avg. Annual Cost Per Home
$122.50
Election Day
Nov 3
Station 5 Opens
April 2027
What is Issue 103?
Issue 103 is a 1 mill property tax operating levy dedicated to fire department operations — specifically, hiring additional firefighter/paramedics. The goal is to hire 12 additional firefighter/paramedics to strengthen staffing across the city and in the new fire station.
More firefighter/paramedics means more emergency response vehicles in service, and ultimately faster response times to emergencies.
Issue 103 money will not be used to pay for the new fire station currently under construction at Royalton and Pearl Road.
What will Issue 103 cost me?
$35 per year for each $100,000 of the County Fiscal Officer’s market value. A home with a market value of $350,000 would pay $122.50 per year.
The rate will not exceed 1 mill for each $1 of taxable value, and the County Fiscal Officer estimates the levy will collect $2,295,968 annually.
Does Issue 103 pay to build the new fire station?
No. Construction of Station 5 is estimated at $10 million and is being paid for by issuing notes and bonds. Money from Issue 103 would not go toward building the station.
The city makes its final payment on Station 4 in 2026. Retiring that debt frees up existing borrowing capacity to carry the new station, so Station 5 does not add to the city’s overall debt load.
Why does Strongsville need a fifth station?
The fifth station is under construction in the center of the city, near the intersection of Royalton and Pearl Roads, and is scheduled to open in April 2027.
It adds needed response coverage to the center of the city along the busy Route 82 / Route 42 business corridor, and allows rapid backup to other areas of the city.
Why does the department need more firefighter/paramedics?
Emergency call volume has grown 200% since 2004 — from about 2,400 calls for service that year to roughly 7,200 in 2025. Over the same period the department’s average response time has climbed to 6 minutes and 55 seconds, well beyond the recommended national standard of 4 minutes.
70% of calls for service have at least one other call occurring at the same time, which means a second emergency often has to wait. The goal is to hire 12 additional firefighter/paramedics to staff the new station, with hiring phased in ahead of the opening and alongside retirements.