“It’s getting harder and harder to pass levies…,” Wurzelbacher said. “You’re supposed to be a wizard, you’re supposed to figure out what people think, to me I can’t do that.”
The township passed its first ever police levy by a vote of 1,470 to 648 in 2013 — after several failed attempts — and the trustees are considering whether to ask taxpayers in November for more money for police services or simply to renew the 2.5 mill levy.
Township Administrator Bob Bass said the levy will continue to bring in about $500,000 annually through 2018. Bass said he will likely recommend a renewal to support the department that has one full-time employee, Capt. Jack Tremain — who is acting chief while Chief of Police Darryl Haussler battles a rare and painful disease — and 10 part-time people.
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“My suggestion to them would be to do it in ‘17 simply because, renewals don’t typically fail, but you never know,” he said. “But if it fails in ‘17 you still have ‘18 to try to get it renewed. But if you wait until ‘18 then you have no options and you’re out of money.”
Trustee Ellen Yordy said the department would like additional funds for equipment, like their own LEADS background check equipment — they currently travel to the sheriff’s office to perform those duties — but she said they need to weigh the need against what taxpayers can afford.
“You can’t keep going to the people and asking them for more and more money,” Yordy said. “Sometimes you just have to live within your means like most people do themselves.”
Wurzelbacher said this is the first time the police department has been fully self sufficient and they could continue on that path without asking voters for an increase, especially if Haussler remains on a part-time status. The chief is home from the hospital but Bass said it remains to be seen if the chemo-type treatments will be successful.
“With Darryl if he comes back full time that will be fantastic, but if he doesn’t that saves us a pretty good chunk of money,” Wurzelbacher said. “I’m hoping that he does come back full time, but there are all ways to look at these things.”
Liberty Twp. has held back from pulling the trigger on a fire levy a couple times, mainly to capture new growth, but the fire and EMS funds will move into the red zone by about $120,000 next year.
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The township has quadrupled in two decades, now standing at about 40,000 residents and home to Liberty Center, the huge new $350 million mixed-use development.
The trustees started talking levy last June and did get information from the county auditor’s office on how much a 3, 3.5 and 4 mill levy would collect and cost the owner of a $100,000 home.
Numbers from the auditor’s office revealed a 3-mill levy would garner $1.7 million in additional funds and cost $105; 3.5 mills would pull in $2.9 million and cost $122; and a 4-mill levy would result in $3.4 million in new money and cost $140.
The township pulled back from putting a levy request on the Nov. 8 ballot because they said they needed to do their due diligence with numbers from the auditor. The auditor’s office says Liberty is the fasted growing entity in the county and as more properties come on line, people pay fewer taxes individually. Unless an entity asks for a tax increase, a given levy will bring in the same amount of money no matter how many people are paying into it.
Trustee Tom Farrell agreed with Wurzelbacher that setting tax levies is a complicated process that requires consideration of a host of issues.
“Nobody ever wants them (taxes) but obviously they are necessary so it becomes an issue, don’t put them on until we have to, make sure we get the amount right,” Farrell said. “As I have said before, we really wish these were done based upon the population rather than based upon the fixed amount. Because then as residency increases your dollar value would go up, as residency decreases your dollar value would go down. But that’s just not the way it is.”
Liberty’s finance committee is taking another look at figures from the auditor with the goal of helping trustees decide when they should go to the ballot. Farrell wants to delay a levy request until next year so the new fire chief can weigh in on his future budget.
Fire Chief Paul Stumpf announced his retirement in September and gave the township a year to find his replacement. Farrell said they hope to have the new chief on-board by July so that person can learn the ropes from Stumpf.
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The finance committee should have a recommendation in about a month, according to Farrell and then the trustees can decide when to ask voters for more money. Farrell said the auditor’s office said if they pass a levy in May 2018 the funds would be available in January 2019. He said he is not sure the same would be true if they waited until November 2018.
For his part, there is no imminent drop dead deadline for setting the levy, because they can borrow money from other funds to stave off deficits. But any money borrowed would have to be paid back once a levy passes.
“Money could be taken out of the general fund or roads funds, things can be moved because obviously safety is our number one concern,” Farrell said. “We are not putting the residents safety in jeopardy, period, end of story. We will have a fire department fully staffed and in place at all times, it’s just where is the money coming from.”
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