Key takeaways
- In unofficial results, Hanover Township, Ohio, passed a 3.5-mill fire and EMS levy worth about $1.15 million a year, and Fairfield Township passed a 2.99-mill police levy worth about $2.45 million a year. Both had failed before.
- New Miami, Ohio, rejected both its police and fire levies, and Troutdale, Oregon, rejected a five-year police, fire and 911 levy.
- Passed levies mostly keep existing services running. Don't assume a new equipment budget.
- Failed levies push agencies toward retries, higher fees, restructuring or cuts. Tailor outreach to the path an agency is on, and wait for certified results.
What happened on Tuesday
Unofficial results from the November 3 election show voters split on public safety funding. In Butler County, Ohio, the Journal-News reported these outcomes:
- Hanover Township passed a 3.5-mill fire and EMS levy, 56% to 44%. It brings in about $1.15 million a year for five years and costs about $123 a year per $100,000 of home value. Voters had turned down a 5-mill levy in May and another request in November 2025.
- Fairfield Township passed a 2.99-mill police levy, 52.5% to 47.5%, worth about $2.45 million a year. It's the same measure voters rejected in May.
- New Miami rejected both of its measures: a 5-mill police levy, 76.3% to 23.7%, and a 3-mill replacement fire levy by nearly 60% to 40%.
Across Southwest Ohio, WVXU reported that most levies passed, including fire levies in Lockland, College Corner and Washington Township. Fire levies failed in Union Township and Forest Park. Batavia Township's 8.4-mill fire levy was losing by 98 votes, with provisional ballots still being counted and the official canvass set for November 24.
In Troutdale, Oregon, voters rejected Measure 26-265, a five-year levy for police, fire and 911 services, 62.6% to 37.4%, according to The Outlook. These are all unofficial counts, so wait for certification before treating any result as final.
Passed levies: the money goes to operations first
It's tempting to read a passed levy as a new buying budget. Usually it isn't. Most of the measures that passed on Tuesday keep existing services running.
Hanover's fire chief told the Journal-News, "It was a replacement." The department serves about 8,700 residents across 36 square miles and faces rising costs for equipment, vehicles, fuel, medical supplies and wages. In Fairfield Township, officials said existing levies and one-time transfers no longer covered the police department. It has 21 officers against an authorized 28, and has already used a hiring freeze, overtime limits and spending cuts.
So the first dollars will likely go to staffing and keeping the lights on. Where a department points to equipment, vehicle and supply costs, as Hanover's does, there may be room for purchases. But they'll follow the agency's budget process, not election night.
What this means for you:
- Read the ballot language and recent trustee or council agendas to see what the money is meant to cover.
- Identify the chief, assistant chief and fiscal officer.
- Ask about plans and timing rather than pitching a product. Our guide to selling public safety equipment to government covers how these departments typically buy.
Failed levies: agencies weigh their options
A failed levy doesn't end the conversation. It changes it. The reporting shows several paths agencies take next:
- Try again. Hanover and Fairfield Township both passed on a later attempt.
- Raise fees. Troutdale officials said the city's $25 monthly public safety utility fee could rise to more than $65 a month by 2030. The city projects service costs to exceed $14 million by then, leaving a gap of about $5 million.
- Restructure. Troutdale's levy was meant to buy time to negotiate better contracts, create a fire district or re-establish its own police department. New Miami's mayor said council will discuss the fire department's future with fire officials starting in early 2027.
- Cut staff. In Batavia Township, the firefighters' union said the levy would have funded six positions previously paid for by a federal grant that has run out.
These agencies aren't likely to buy anything new soon, and a sales pitch to a department facing layoffs will land badly. Some may still want help lowering costs or a simpler way to buy. Pointing them to options on our cooperative purchasing directory can be a useful, low-pressure first contact.
How to tailor your outreach
Sort each agency into one of three groups and adjust accordingly:
- Passed. Congratulate them briefly, then ask what the levy funds first and when purchasing decisions get made. Offer to share pricing or references ahead of budget planning.
- Failed. Hold off on product pitches. If you have something that lowers costs or supports shared services, lead with that, and make it easy to say no. A short note works: "I saw the levy didn't pass. If cost is a factor in your next steps, I'm happy to share what similar departments pay. If now isn't the time, no problem."
- Too close to call. Wait. Batavia Township won't know its result until the canvass, and reaching out before then helps no one.
Ballot results are one of the clearest public signals of where an agency's budget is headed. Our guide to government buying signals covers how to track them alongside budgets and board agendas.
How KSG helps
Kensington Sales Group helps companies reach public safety agencies when the timing makes sense. Our market intelligence work tracks signals like levy results, budgets and board actions, and our SDRs use them to start respectful conversations with the chiefs and fiscal officers who own the decision.
Sources: Journal-News, Hanover and Fairfield townships pass fire and police levies; New Miami rejects them (November 4, 2026); WVXU, Batavia Township fire levy too close to call, while most other Southwest Ohio levies succeeded (November 4, 2026); The Outlook, Troutdale leans no for public safety funding levy (November 3, 2026).