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New Middletown council approves replacement levies
By MARY GRZEBIENIAK
NEW MIDDLETOWN
Village council approved putting replacement levies for fire and police on the November ballot.
The members, meeting Monday, declined to put additional millage on in November to ensure continuation of an overnight police position, which now gives the village 24-hour police coverage.
Council member Dan Stanton, chairman of the finance committee, cited a tough economic climate as the reason, but after the meeting said that council could ask for additional millage in the future.
The village currently collects a 4-mill police levy and a 2.5-mill fire levy. Replacement levies would collect the same millage, but base it on the current valuation, not the village’s real-estate valuation at the time the last levy passed.
Village Fiscal Officer Carl Flitcraft Jr. said the replacement 4-mill police levy would cost the owner of a $170,000 home about an additional $2 per year.
Stanton also noted after the meeting that currently most of the full-time night officer’s position is funded by a grant which is expiring. Police Chief Vince D’Egidio has an application pending for another grant to continue the position.
D’Egidio said he is hopeful, but will not get an answer from the Ohio Criminal Justice Services until October on whether the village will get $36,000 for the position. He also has applied for an additional $44,000 grant for a new full-time detective who would work on domestic disputes and family services.
The department has four full and six part-time officers.