Avon Lake will have to “make do” with its current safety facility over the next couple of years after voters said no to a new fire station, MorningJournal.com reported.
According to final unofficial results, 7,245 voted against the income tax increase while 4,777 voted for it.
City officials said the income tax increase was “necessary to support the Avon Lake safety forces and ensure the quality of care and protection the residents rely on,” according to a news release issued in the summer by the city when the issue was approved for the November ballot.
Avon Lake Fire Chief Jermey Betsa during a presentation to city council said the current fire station needs several major repairs. A study five years ago recommended the city build a new fire station and expand the current police station, the report said.
The current fire station was built in 1978 and cannot meet the needs of today’s Avon Lake, city officials said.
The city will have to “make do” with its current safety facility over the next couple of years, a city official said, according to the report.