Ronan officials reviving mill levy proposal

After falling just short during the Nov. 8 general election, Ronan city officials are once again campaigning for a public mill levy aimed at providing additional resources for the Ronan Police Department.

“We’ve been working hard, really hard to get the community informed as best we can,” Mayor Kim Aipperspach said.

Billed as a way to provide 24-hour police coverage for the city, the tax increase would help fund the hiring of an additional police officer, as well as equipment upgrades for the force.

The proposal missed passage by less than 10 votes last fall, and proponents are optimistic that a heightened awareness effort will help the measure fare better during the May 2 special district elections.

Ronan Police Chief Ken Weaver said a major component of the proposal was not in place by the time he had to file paperwork leading up to the general election.

The department later received $125,000 in federal grant money for hiring a fifth police officer. The only catch was that the city had to provide about $40,000 in matching funds -- a caveat Weaver said he was not able to explain on the ballot.

“Once the public understands that the $125,000 could go away, I think it will help push this through,” he said.

In addition to allowing the city to utilize the grant, Weaver said the mill levy will also be used for retaining a fifth officer after the award period expires in 2020.

While tax increases inevitably drum up opposition, Weaver said he hasn’t heard anything negative pertaining to the proposal this time around.

According to the informational pamphlet promoting the issue, owners of houses valued at $100,000 would pay $74.25 per year, or 20 cents per day, under the mill levy. Owners of houses valued at $200,000 would pay twice that.

“It’s less than the price of a cup of coffee,” Weaver said.

Weaver said the department’s current staffing levels are not adequate to provide around-the-clock services.

According to the pamphlet, having a part-time police department leaves the city with 1,600 hours of uncovered time annually.

“Anytime anybody takes a shift off, we go uncovered,” he said. “It happened to me the other night.”

Mayor Aipperspach said often times people don’t understand the benefits of a 24-hour police service until they’re faced with a desperate situation. With law enforcement agencies struggling to find funding across the region and state, he said having city a officer on hand at all times could prove vital.

“Sometimes people never get into that situation and they don’t know what it means,” he said. “But it would make such a big difference.”