Present for the most recent Miami Township Trustees meeting, Monday, Sept. 15, were Zoning Inspector Bryan Lucas, and Trustees Marilan Moir and Don Hollister. Absent was Chris Mucher. (Video still)
Miami Township Trustees broach levy, zoning changes
- Published: October 3, 2025
Miami Township Trustees discussed an upcoming Miami Township Fire-Rescue levy at their most recent meeting Monday, Sept. 15, with the trustees highlighting the renewal as a major item on the Nov. 4 ballot.
The levy, last approved in 2020, requires reapproval by citizens every five years, and provides nearly half of MTFR’s annual operating funds. Trustee Marilan Moir said the levy is not new money, but a continuation of an existing tax that covers department needs, including staffing, training, protective gear and equipment.
According to a levy fact sheet presented by Moir and shared with the News, the renewed levy would generate $595,182 annually, accounting for 47% of MTFR’s budget. The annual cost to homeowners within Miami Township is $82 per $100,000 of assessed valuation.
If the levy is renewed, it will “sustain present service and staffing levels,” Moir said, adding that MTFR responds to about 370 fire and rescue incidents and 730 EMS incidents annually. The average response time, Fire Chief James Cannell noted, is three minutes and 45 seconds.
Moir urged residents with specific questions about the levy to contact Cannell directly at 937-768-7842 or jcannell@mtfr.org.
MTFR report
Chief Cannell reported that MTFR has logged 722 runs year-to-date. Noting the previously reported hiring of two new part-time firefighter/EMTs in August, Cannell said he expects one more new hire in 2025 and possibly two more in early 2026.
Cannell also said the department is evaluating replacements for two aging vehicles.
One proposal would lease-purchase a Ford F250 utility truck, fully outfitted for paramedic response and rope-rescue equipment, at a cost of $80,794 financed over five years. Cannell said the vehicle, which would replace an aging pick-up truck sold last month, would allow paramedics to return to the station quickly after a call to be ready for another, improving response times. It would also replace the Township’s box truck in hauling rope-rescue equipment, making the box truck available for sale and potentially bringing in $25,000–$75,000.
The second proposal would lease-purchase a Ford Explorer to serve as a new command vehicle. At $67,507 financed over five years, it would replace the department’s current 10-year-old, 100,000-mile command unit. The new vehicle would serve both as the chief’s transport and as a mobile command post at fire or rescue scenes.
Trustees deferred action until their next meeting to allow absent Trustee Chair Chris Mucher a chance to weigh in.
Zoning code update
Trustees approved a change to the Township’s zoning code, adopting Resolution 2025-28, which creates a new Article 8 governing nonconformities.
The amendment separates language about nonconforming uses and structures from the code’s general provisions section in Article 1, with the new section to stand alone and create greater clarity.
Zoning Administrator Bryan Lucas said the change reflects common practice and provides clarity for landowners whose uses or buildings were established according to past zoning code regulations, and become “grandfathered” after new zoning rules take effect.
According to the approved language, the new section is intended to “permit these non-conformities to continue until they are removed, but not to encourage their continuance” and that nonconformities will “not be enlarged upon, expanded or extended, nor be used as grounds for adding other structures or uses prohibited elsewhere in the same district.”
This update is part of an ongoing overhaul of the Township’s Zoning Resolution, overseen by Lucas and the Township’s Zoning Commission, which began this spring; to see the Zoning Resolution and its amendments thus far, go to miamitownship.net/zoning-resolution.
Public records custodian appointed
Trustees also moved to clarify the Township’s process for handling public records requests by appointing Fiscal Officer Jeanna GunderKline as the Township’s official records custodian.
Moir noted that while the Township has a public records policy, no one has been formally designated to fill the role of responding to records requests. Under the appointment, GunderKline will be responsible for receiving and logging requests, with requests likely to be filled by department heads depending on the nature of the public record being requested.
The trustees also noted that the Township’s public records policy will likely be updated to reflect that the fiscal officer position will incorporate the duties of a public records custodian in perpetuity.
The trustees said they will update their public records policy in the future and post the updated version on the Township’s website and in the lobby of the MTFR building.
The next regular meeting of the Township Trustees will be held Monday, Oct. 6, at 5 p.m.
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