JACKSON TWP — The first draft of the 2015-16 township budget calls for a minor tax increase with revenues to fund the new Harmony Fire District.

The township will adopt a .375 mill property tax increase “dedicated to the funding of Harmony Volunteer Fire District as the township’s designated fire department,” according to the budget.

The new fire district will come from a merger of the Zelienople Volunteer Fire Department and the Harmony Volunteer Fire Company.

The budget states the township is committed to increasing the tax from 1.125 mills to 1.5 mills, the same amount paid by Lancaster Township and Harmony.

With the projected amount raised per mill for Jackson Township at about $48,000, the increase will raise about $18,000.

Total expected township revenue, including the $18,000, is $72,288 for the fire company in 2016.

That increase will raise the total township millage rate 8.25.

The township’s 2016 budget is about $3.58 million. This year’s budget is $4.15 million.

The Jackson supervisors will vote to approve the budget on Dec. 17.

Township Supervisor Trent Geis said the increase in millage is “the best solution” for everybody.

“If you really look at the change for residents, it’s going to be minimal at best,” he said. “The fire companies right now are responding to the same calls. They’re acting as one company right now.”

Jay Grinnell, fire merger committee chairman and Harmony EMS president, said four municipalities are covered by the fire department merger: Jackson Township, Lancaster Township, Zelienople and Harmony.

While Jackson, Lancaster and Harmony will be at 1.5 mills for their fire tax, Zelienople will lower its fire tax from 4 mills to 2.

Jackson Township will be the only municipality to have its millage rate increase.

Grinnell said Zelienople has a higher rate because the borough has more “high-risk” older structures that require more equipment.

Geis said the borough funded its own fire department and so residents paid more.

Zelienople and Harmony’s volunteer fire departments are expected to complete their merger by the beginning of 2016. It will be the third merging of fire departments in Butler County in recent years.

The merger is aimed to consolidate resources, cut costs and address the need for more volunteers.

“It seems like a fair way to do it and get everyone on the same page because the millage is based on property taxes,” Grinnell said.

He said the fire district will start out financially stable and it will retain its nonprofit status.

Grinnell said Jackson Township may end up paying “the lion’s share” because of impending development in the township, whereas Zelienople and Harmony do not have much room to grow.

“In the end, it will be a slight millage increase, but it’s going to be important to the fire department because that (Jackson Township) is where the growth is going to be,” he said.

The new fire district was approved by the state attorney general and Butler County Orphans Court. It now is being registered with the state Bureau of Corporations.