Warren Council puts permanent safety forces tax on fall ballot

WARREN — City residents can expect to see a permanent police and fire tax levy on the November ballot as opposed to the temporary tax they have voted on in previous election years.

At tonight's city council meeting, council members voted 7-3 in favor of putting on a permanent 0.5 income tax, which generates about $4.5 million for safety forces each year.

The tax was introduced as an emergency clause and needed a two-thirds majority to pass.

Members voted twice on the permanent tax due to the confusion of how many votes were actually needed.

The first time members voted on the measure it resulted in a 6-to-4 vote. But since it was introduced as an emergency measure, it required seven yes votes.

After a five-minute recess, council resumed and voted again with Councilman Gary Fonce, D-at large, changing his vote in favor of putting the tax on permanently, even though he said it was a gamble to put it on the ballot.

For the complete story, see Thursday's Vindicator and Vindy.com.