AUSTINTOWN Police layoffs worry resident

The township doesn't collect additional levy revenue from new homes.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- Bernice Ann Senvisky heard a dispatcher's voice crackle on the police radio: Officers were needed in other areas of the township.
The officer with Senvisky on Friday, however, didn't jump into his cruiser and head to the other calls.
He told Senvisky that the other calls would have to wait because they didn't sound as serious as the attempted shooting she had reported and because police are short-staffed.
"What if there was somebody that needed that help immediately?" Senvisky said. "It's just crazy."
Recent layoffs
In recent months, township trustees have tried to save money by laying off a full-time police officer and a new full-time hire who just returned from National Guard service and had yet to start his job. They've also decided not to replace three officers who have retired.
Senvisky plans to express her concerns about the layoffs and the status of the police department at a trustees meeting June 30. She said she is worried the furloughs are jeopardizing the safety of township residents.
"The word's out that there's not much police out there," Senvisky said.
The union representing township police also wrote to township trustees expressing concern that budget cuts have put officers and residents in harm's way.
Township officials have said that without additional revenue, about $1.2 million will need to be cut from the township's budget to avoid a deficit this year. About $7.5 million of the $9.7 million budget this year goes to wages and benefits.
Attempted shooting
Senvisky said she was talking to her niece outside her house around 9:45 p.m. Friday when she noticed a man get out of a car and walk up her driveway. She approached the man, who asked her for directions.
After a short discussion, the man pulled out a gun.
"He said, 'Give me your f------ money and purse,'" Senvisky said.
She told him she didn't have a purse, put up her hands, and backed away.
The man then fired a shot, which missed Senvisky. He took a purse from Senvisky's niece and drove away.
"The nerve. We have a long driveway; to walk across the street, up the driveway, to have the nerve ... this world is just so sad." Senvisky said. "Get a job like decent people."
Trustee David Ditzler said he shared Senvisky's concerns about police staffing and encouraged her to help pass a levy for township police and departments. Trustees have said they expect to place the levy on the November ballot.
Senvisky said she planned to call township officials to discuss her concerns and ask for more information about the township's budget before speaking at the June 30 meeting. She spoke with Police Chief Gordon Ellis for about an hour Monday.
Others concerned
Many of Senvisky's concerns have been echoed by other township residents.
"I want to know where the money's going, I'm not just going to vote for a levy," she said.
The police department had a $3.7 million budget for this year before cuts were made, with $3.3 million allocated to salaries and benefits. Police expected to receive about $3 million in revenue this year, including $2.8 million from tax levies.
Senvisky said she wants to know:
UWhy the township isn't collecting more tax money from new homes. Austintown has seen more home-construction starts than any other Mahoning County community in each of the past nine years.
The amount of money a township can collect from a tax levy over the years, however, is not connected to changes in the housing market. Instead, the amount is fixed when a levy is approved by voters.
For example, in 1994 voters approved a 2.4-mill levy, allowing the township to collect $950,000 each year for police. That means that no matter how many houses are built in the township in a year, township officials can collect only $950,000 from that levy.
Voters would have to approve new levies or a replacement of a levy to allow the township to collect additional money.
UWhy the township isn't getting more money from permit fees charged to developers building homes in the township.
Township Zoning Inspector Michael Kurilla Jr. said the permit fees are used to pay for the operations of the zoning department. He noted the township increased zoning fees this year in order to ensure that the department ends the year without a deficit.
Before the increase, the department was set to collect $90,000 in fees this year and end the year with a $74,550 deficit.
hill@vindy.com