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By By Josh Sweigart, Staff Writer Updated 8:36 AM Wednesday, November 4, 2009

ROSS TWP. — After a daylight armed robbery Friday, Oct. 30, voters in Ross Twp. overwhelmingly decided that they needed to maintain funding for their local police force.

Issue 14 passed by a margin of nearly 40 percent Tuesday, Nov. 3, with 1,744 supporting it and only 753 people opposed, according to final, unofficial results released by the Butler County Board of Elections.

“I am absolutely thrilled,” said Township Trustee Tom Willsey. “I think people in Ross have told us overwhelmingly that they think we’re doing a good job.”

The 1-mill renewal will cost the owner of a $100,000 home roughly $24.03 per year — which is the existing tax rate — for five more years.

It will maintain funding for the township’s police department, which has two full-time officers — including the chief — eight part-time officers and three auxiliary officers. They handle up to 8,000 police calls a year, said Chief Carl Worley.

“This, obviously, is not the time in my opinion to reduce police protection,” Worley said.

As evidence, Worley cited the daylight robbery of a Fifth Third bank on Hamilton Cleves Road Friday. Three suspects are still being sought, all of whom were reportedly armed. One held a gun to a clerk’s head.

“Crime is going to continue to go up,” Worley said, blaming the recession. “When the money’s not there, people are going to find ways to feed their families. They’re also going to find ways to feed their habits.”

But the levy is not enough to expand the department, Worley said, or even pay for the whole existing department, which is largely supported by the township’s general fund.

And he fears that protection offered by Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones could fall casualty to the county’s financial woes.

But Willsey said they’ll have to work with what they have — the level of service voters voiced approval of Tuesday — and not seek another levy, despite the huge margin of victory.

“Quite frankly, right now is not the time to ask for additional money,” he said. “We’re going to have to struggle through with what we’ve got.”

Contact this reporter at jsweigart@coxohio.com or (513) 820-2175.

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Im still confused? what is this birdland thing? why you call a getto? in Ross?

Bird?
1:52 PM, 11/4/2009

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Birdland...the ghetto of Ross? Perhaps if the Ross Police Department would do their job, the drugs & riff raff that give Birdland a bad name wouldn't be there!!!!

disgusted in birdland
1:47 PM, 11/4/2009

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Birdland is a subdivision where the streets are all named after birds. It also happens to be the ghetto of Ross.

Cardinal
12:30 PM, 11/4/2009

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Just curious but I have to ask.....Why do police and fire levies pass 99% of the time with nobody complaining about the additional cost to their property tax but when it comes time for a school levy everybody will loose their home by the property tax?

what the....
11:55 AM, 11/4/2009

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i would have loved to seen the police in our neighborhood on halloween night or even the ross fire department. Did the Ross Fire or Police Department forget how excited the kids get to see them on halloween night? Or maybe because I live in a old neighborhood(by the cemetery) and not indian creek where the houses are newer but their money is no better than mine.

eula
11:42 AM, 11/4/2009

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