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Levy on ballot for Weathersfield police
By Mary Smith
MINERAL RIDGE
Weathersfield Township trustees have voted to place renewal of an updated 1.8-mill continuous police levy on the May 6 ballot.
The levy, first passed in 1981 as a continuous levy, is one of three levies that are the main sources of revenue supporting the township police department.
No general-fund money supports the department, township Administrator David Rouan said.
Rouan said the levy, if passed, will be used to add another patrolman to the department and help to keep the department running at its existing standards.
The additional money will be used to purchase equipment, including items such as sidearms, vests and vehicles, and will be “a continuation of the way the department currently operates,” he said.
The department operates on a budget of $995,000, and is receiving about the same amount from its revenues.
The revised levy will boost the department’s income to $1.1 million a year, and would cost a homeowner of a $100,000 house an extra $44 a year.
Rouan noted the median home value in the township is $85,000.
The administrator said since the current measure was passed in 1981,the value of one mill has gone up.
“The effective rate is pretty low,” he said, adding, “a new valuation [by the county auditor] should generate additional revenue.”
The department’s other sources of income are two other police levies: a 3.7-mill continuous levy passed in 2008, which generates $516,000 annually (this levy replaced two other levies, a 1.9-mill issue from 1990 and a 1.8-mill issue from 1998 that were combined in 2008) and a 1.9-mill continuous levy passed in 1982 which generates $165,000.
Other income includes $117,000 in personal tangible property-tax reimbursement from the state and an additional $85,000 in various items such as court fines and towed-vehicle fees.
The department includes eight full-time police officers, including Chief Joseph Consiglio and Capt. Michael Naples, and also has eight part-time officers.