DARKE COUNTY — Most of the levy requests on Tuesday’s ballot were approved by voters, but a few were rejected. Among those that lost were two requests for additional financial support for local police departments.
Union City had a 1/2 percent income tax levy on the ballot, earmarked for police protection. Voters said “no.”
Union City Police Chief David McHenry said that additional tax would have generated about $100,000 for the police department to put more officers on the streets.
“It’s going to put us back to where we were before,” McHenry said of the levy failure. “It will be business as usual.”
“Business as usual” for residents of Union City means reduced police coverage for the community and delayed response times. With only two full-time and five part-time officers — and no money in the budget for overtime — when the police department is not staffed, residents will have to wait for response from Darke County Sheriff’s Deputies.
McHenry said passage of the levy would have put his department’s budget back to the levels it had in the mid-1990s. Currently, the department operates on only about $215,000 a year. The chief specifically cited Gov. John Kasich’s funding cuts to local governments as being responsible for the crises faced by small towns lately.
“He (Kasich) wants to strangle off the small villages and cities,” McHenry said.
The chief said this is the third time a levy for police funding has failed, and it will be up to council to decide if they will try again.
“It’s going to be a tough time to get any more money from anyone right now,” McHenry said.
Darke Countians had their say on several ballot issues this election, including statewide, in their own townships and more. Results follow:
State issues
-Issue One: Darke County (8346 for, 3541 against);
-Issue Two: Darke County (7454 for, 4972 against);
-Issue Three: Darke County (3281 for, 9284 against).
Townships
-Brown fire protection levy: 433 for, 135 against;
-Patterson fire protection levy: 391 for, 90 against.
Schools
-Greenville renewal levy: 3894 for, 2743 against.
Library
-New Madison renewal: 974 for, 333 against
Villages
-Arcanum police protection additional levy: 31 for, 44 against;
-Gettysburg fire renewal levy, 0.9 mill: 88 for, 38 against;
-Gettysburg fire renewal levy, 1.9 mill: 80 for, 46 against;
-Gordon expense renewal levy, 1.8 mill: 8 for, 1 against;
-Gordon expense renewal levy, 3.2 mill: 7 for, 2 against;
-New Weston expense renewal levy: 18 for, 10 against;
-Pitsburg construction renewal levy: 6 for, 7 against;
-Pitsburg expense renewal levy: 7 for, 6 against;
-Rossburg expense renewal, 3.2 mill: 38 for, 18 against;
-Rossburg expense renewal, 4 mill: 37 for, 18 against;
-Union City additional police levy: 126 for, 140 against;
-Wayne Lakes renewal construction and repair: 216 for, 48 against.
