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Home > Blogs > West Chester News and Issues > Archives > 2009 > August > 03 > Entry
Liberty police levy follow-up
Update (1:45 p.m.)
In response to commenter “C Reinard”: Per my earlier stories (see links below), Liberty Twp. residents have been paying extra for police protection since a first levy was approved by local voters in 1995. At the time, the levy was for 1.5 mills, and didn’t change until 2000, when it increased to 3 mills.
The sheriff’s department provides services to all townships in the county, each at the minimum level (typically one or two deputies), with the exception of Ross Twp., which has additional folks stationed there.
Liberty residents pay extra for the added police protection: 24 full-time deputies and a detective, compared to the basic level of services other townships receive.
Update (1:10 p.m.)
In response to commenter “Leigh” below: To clarify, the answer “yes” was in response to the question about whether federal stimulus dollars could have been used to fund personnel in law enforcement agencies.
It is not my call whether trustees did a disservice to themselves (or taxpayers, for that matter) by turning down the offer of township administrators to look into the federal funding. I don’t believe my opinion matters as it pertains to decisions made by the officials I cover. Or, at least, it doesn’t matter as much as covering what happens.
Thoughts?
A November levy for police protection in Liberty Twp. may be tough to sell to voters amid a recession.
So, when trustees voted to place a levy on the ballot this fall, I received a flood of e-mails and comments on stories regarding the decision.
The story takes on two questions: First, did trustees do themselves a disservice by turning down federal stimulus dollars in March, just a few months before they declared a levy a necessity. The point? Can stimulus dollars be used to hire law enforcement?
Yes.
From the story:
The COPS Hiring Recovery Program received $1 billion from the federal stimulus plan, saving or creating jobs in Cincinnati, Dayton and Springfield police departments. At the end of the three-year grant, the program stipulates agencies receiving the money must maintain staffing levels, according to the program’s Web site.
Another question had to do with county property taxes. Some were curious as to why they pay twice in Liberty Twp., once to the county and again to the community’s police levy.
As explained in the story:
Liberty Twp. residents have been paying additional property taxes for law enforcement services provided by the Butler County Sheriff’s Office since 1995. A portion of property taxes collected by the county is spent on basic services the county provides to local townships. The difference between those basic services and the cost of services the county’s 24 sworn personnel stationed in Liberty is not a line item in the sheriff’s budget. However, Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer said the cost to the county is higher than the estimated $1.7 million the current levy provides. Although he said the levy is important to keeping operations in Liberty Twp. at their current levels, Dwyer said no deputies would be cut if the levy is rejected in November. Changes cannot be made to the sheriff’s contract with the township — which is good until Aug. 22, 2010 — without written consent by either party.
Any other questions I could answer for you?
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Comments
By Leigh
August 3, 2009 11:14 AM | Link to this
The question Dave asks is “did trustees do themselves a disservice by turning down federal stimulus dollars in March, just a few months before they declared a levy a necessity” and he answers “yes.” The point is that they did the taxpayers a disservice when they should be looking out for their best interests. This is not about the trustees best interest!
By C Reinard
August 3, 2009 1:35 PM | Link to this
How many of the townships in Butler pay an additional amount to have protection by the Butler County Sheriffs? Liberty Township pays taxes to Butler County to pay for sheriffs, as does the whole county, so why does Liberty Township have to pay additional taxes?
By Willis
August 3, 2009 3:37 PM | Link to this
Let’s turn the question another way, why is the county government paying such a large portion of its budget to the sheriff if the townships are subsiding his running of the office? I believe there is waste involved in our sheriffs operation.