Cedar Area Fire & Rescue (CAFR) is building a second station near Kasson Township to provide better emergency response times to their west. Officials from Cleveland Township, one of the four townships serviced by CAFR, supported the expansion at their Tuesday regular meeting.
Cleveland Township Supervisor Tim Stein said that the costs of adding the new station would be very minimal. While Cleveland Township taxpayers will not be directly paying for the new building, they will help underwrite the additional costs of operating a second station.
“The cost that is actually added to our expenses still keeps our fire millage at just over 2.5 mills. And for fire and emergency services, 2.5 mills is a real bargain,” Stein said. “In my humble opinion, we would be good stewards of the CAFR if we, in fact, supported this effort and agreed with Centerville and Solon to go ahead and fund the additional operating costs.”
After some discussion — including the logistics of CAFR sharing its equipment across two stations — the board unanimously agreed to support the expansion as presented.
According to an assessment in the CAFR’s 2022-2026 strategic plan, the second station could improve response times along M-72 and improve the area’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating, which could lower home insurance costs.
Shifting gears, now that Cleveland Township’s shortterm rental (STR) ordinance has gone into effect, it’s time for them to crack down with enforcement.
Looking at data from the STR monitoring company Granicus, Township Supervisor Tim Stein said there are currently 93 STRs in Cleveland Township. Twelve of them are now operating in violation of the ordinance.
The board passed the STR ordinance in June, and it went into effect on the first of this month. The new law limits the number of STRs in residential and agriculturally zoned districts to 32 units and requires their owners to pay a $35 annual permit fee. Stein said they have issued 27 of 32 STR permits so far.
The Cleveland Township board also:
• Approved a poverty exemption guidelines resolution reflecting the new federal poverty level guidelines.
• Reappointed Peter Fisher, Brian Price, and Nello Valentine to the township Zoning Board of Appeals for two-year terms expiring in 2027.
• Approved summer tax collection agreements with the Leland Public School District and Glen Lake Community Schools, with the exact rates to be determined at a later date.
