Strasburg scraps twice-failed police levy for replacement/increase
STRASBURG (WJER) (May 17, 2023) – Voters won’t be seeing the 3.7-mill police levy they turned down in the past two elections in the next one.
Village leaders are instead planning to ask them to replace the 1.5-mill police equipment levy that expires after this year with an added point-8 mills. Council on Tuesday took the first step toward putting the request on the November 7th ballot, acting on a motion from President and Finance Committee Chairman Jeff Smith.
“I like the replacement 1.5 mill with the additional 0.8 to make it 2.3 mills. It seems more palatable to the residents. It looks on paper that way, anyhow.”
The levy that voters rejected last November and again in the primary would have collected about a quarter-million dollars annually for policing-related expenses. The current proposal is estimated to generate around $75,000 less per year but would increase taxes on a $100,000 home by about $63 dollars instead of $110. Mayor Steve Smith says aside from the $51,000 or so the equipment levy generates, the police department’s entire budget has been coming out of the general fund.
“The idea was to free up some of the general fund money to pay for streets, do other projects here in the village that isn’t police related, but if that’s what the people want is the funds continuing to come out of the general fund to pay for the police operations, that’s what it’ll be.”
Council needs to pass two more resolutions by August 9th to put the request before voters in November.