Ronan rejects police levy

By Jennifer McBride / Leader Staff

RONAN — Ronan voters rejected a police levy by 62 votes on Tuesday. Three-hundred and six Ronan residents sent in their ballots, with 122 voting for and 184 voting against the levy.

"I'm disappointed, obviously," said Assistant Ronan Police Chief Art Walgren Tuesday night. He expressed thanks to Ronan voters for participating in the levy vote, adding, "we will continue to work hard to serve the people with what we have."

The levy would have raised slightly more than $41,000, or 24.45 mills, for the Ronan police department. According to Walgren, the majority of the money would have gone to pay the salary of a new police investigator. Walgren said in previous interviews that the police department is in desperate need of funding because of a $33,000 reduction in its budget and an increase in the cases they handle.

"We have been operating shorthanded for years," Walgren stated. "Our call load is much heavier than other cities our size."

The Ronan police department handles a higher call load per officer than any other police organization in the county. The Ronan Police Department handles 1038 calls per police officer, according to Walgren, compared with the Lake County Sheriff's Department's 668 calls per officer and the Polson Police Department's 750 calls for each officer. According to a survey conducted in Ronan, Polson, Columbia Falls, Dillon, Hamilton and Belgrade by the Montana Board of Crime Control, Ronan led in crime in several categories, including armed robberies and aggravated assaults.

Mayor Kim Aipperspach said on Tuesday night that he was disappointed by the results.

"I guess we'll go back to the drawing board and see what we can do," he stated. He said the city would start searching for grants and other options. "Maybe we'll get lucky and get some grants."

While the budget is locked in for this year, Aipperspach explained, the city will have to reconsider its current monetary distribution next year.

"Hopefully, we won't have to cut other services because of this, but we might because it's only going to get worse from here," Aipperspach said.