The Golf Manor Fire Department (GMFD) will begin sharing personnel, equipment and administration with the Little Miami Joint Fire & Rescue District at 12 AM on Jan. 1, 2018. Golf Manor Village Council and the Board of Trustees of the Little Miami Joint Fire and Rescue District (LMFR) approved a merger of the two entities earlier in 2017. The district will eventually take on a new name and is being structured to allow for other communities to join the district in the future.

There will be no staff reductions in the GMFD, which will continue to provide services from its current fire station at 6450 Wiehe Road. In addition to the Village, the GMFD provides fire and emergency medical services to the Ridge Road and Highland Avenue area of Columbia Township and emergency medical services to Amberley Village.

The merger into the district will ultimately result in fire levy taxes increasing from 6-mills to 12.1-mills, however absent any unexpected financial issues, Golf Manor Council will offset the expected property tax increase assessed by the fire district in January 2019 by allowing a current 5-mill operating levy in the village to expire at the close of 2018.

Mayor Ron Hirth stated that the merger will maintain the high-quality services Golf Manor residents have come to expect – and serve as a model of cooperation to other communities in Hamilton County. As a result, the Village will be able to be more flexible in planning for capital expenditures and planning the annual budget.