Sumpter police millage
Voters in Sumpter Township will decide next Tuesday whether to fund the continued level of police service in the community.
Members of the township board are hoping clearer language on the ballot will encourage residents to approve the question which will increase the police tax by two mills, three months after voters rejected the same request. Township officials fear that a second “no” could force deep cuts or even the end of the police department.
The proposal would raise the police levy from three mills to five. Officials estimate it would bring in more than $2.4 million in the first year. Police Chief Eric Luke said it would cost the average homeowner an estimated $250 a year.
Voters rejected the proposal in the Aug. 4 primary, 57 percent to 43 percent with 1,284 voting no and 982 voting yes. The township board members then voted unanimously to approve revised ballot language and send the request back to voters in November.
Because the August measure also covered renewal of existing millages, its defeat meant the department lost all millage funding. Luke said that amounts to a 41 percent cut to the department operating budget. For about 15 years, the department has been funded mainly by Carleton Farms Landfill royalties and the three-mill police levy. Those royalties have sharply declined and residents have been levied costs for recent county drain improvements. Trustee Tim Rush said the department is fully funded through the end of this year
“Everything’s on the table, up to and including closing the doors,” Luke said. Rush made a similar warning, saying a police department cannot operate with only partial staffing.
Luke has argued that demand on the department has grown. He said calls for service have nearly doubled in five years, while the township population has grown by about 25 percent during the past few years. The department serves about 12,500 residents. Luke also reminded voters that the township had not sought a new police millage in 15 years.
Luke said he does not read the August result as a rejection of the police department. He attributed the defeat to voters’ tax fatigue, being asked for too many millages in too short a time. One trustee said low turnout played a major role, and officials are counting on a larger voter turnout next week. Township officials estimated that turnout in August was about 24 percent to 25 percent.
Ballot and polling information is available at the township clerk’s office at 734-461-6201.
