Police levy is urgently needed

Editor,

As a police commissioner, I believe that Polson has always maintained an excellent police force. However, in recent years I have seen a dilemma that has become increasingly troubling.

The police department is bound to operate within the financial perimeters of the city budget. At the same time, it has to financially compete with other law enforcement agencies that offer a higher wage base.

As a result, this police department has trained many excellent officers only to lose them to another agency. This is not any fault of the city budget and an officer can't be blamed for moving into a higher paying position. As a result of this dilemma, we train and lose many good officers. Under these circumstances, Polson struggles to cultivate a seasoned police department.

The most practical solution is to appropriate the police under a levy. This would put the police budget on a more level playing field with other law enforcement agencies and encourage experienced officers to remain on staff for a greater duration of time.

For Polson residents on June 6, I would encourage you to vote in favor of a special levy to fund our police department outside of the city [general fund] budget.

Don Miller

Polson