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Group gives levy details
BOARDMAN
Many township residents have asked what they will gain if they approve a 3.85-mill, five-year additional levy for police services in August.
On Monday, they got their answer.
The Boardman Coalition Against Crime, a nonprofit organization that made its formal debut Monday, provided a detailed list of what the levy money would fund.
Over the next two years, the levy, if approved, would be used to hire 18 people — 10 patrolman, one diversion specialist, one advocate, one crime analyst, one secretary, two records clerks and two dispatchers.
The list was compiled by Police Chief Jack Nichols and confirmed with the township trustees. The police department currently has 47 officers.
The police levy would generate about $3.7 million annually and cost the owner of a home valued at $100,000 about $117 annually.
The Boardman Coalition Against Crime is led by Nichols and has three goals: support the passage of the August police levy, assist Boardman police with crime prevention and citizen reporting of crimes-in-programs, and develop and implement block watch groups in Boardman neighborhoods.
The coalition includes clergy, retailers, real-estate agents and residents, such as members of the newly formed New England Lanes Block Watch from the north side of the township.
Chuck Coristin, block watch coordinator, said though he personally hasn’t been a victim of crime, he’s read about crime in the area and nearby South Side of Youngstown.
“We want to be proactive in the neighborhood,” he said. “We’re banding together to act as eyes and ears for the police and get to know each other better.”
The coalition held a press conference in the police department while the board of trustees held its regular meeting next door in the administration side of the building. The group received a large donation — $10,000 — from the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 43 Monday evening.
When asked about the coalition’s list of what the levy would provide, if it’s approved, the trustees said they want to accomplish those things in two years.
The two-year time frame is important because the township would not begin collecting money from the levy until 2012, and it takes time to administrate civil service exams and train officers, said Trustee Brad Calhoun.
But still, “that’s the goal,” Calhoun said.
Trustees have said if the police levy fails in August, 20 to 30 of the township’s 132 employees will be laid off that month.