MEASURE NO. 24-228 - mp3

City of Aumsville

Referred to the People by the City Council

Police 24-Hour Coverage Four-Year Operating Cost Tax Levy

Question: Shall Aumsville levy $140,000 yearly, for four years; to provide 24-hour police services, starting in FY2007/2008? This measure may cause property taxes to increase more than three percent.

Summary: Currently Aumsville can provide 75% police coverage to its citizens with property tax revenue from growth, without an operating levy. The operating levy requested would allow police coverage 24-hours per day, seven days a week. Marion County’s projected population of Aumsville in 2011 is 4001. The $140,000 per year to be raised from this measure would be in effect from July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2011, making the local option tax total $560,000. Forecasting growth and $560,000 out over four years, averages out to a $.93 cents per $1,000.00 of property value, per year, taxpayer cost. For a home assessed at $100,000, the estimated increase would be $112.00 the first year and $81.00 in the final year. Its use would be restricted to General Fund transfers to the Police Fund; to provide the anticipated money required to provide 24-hour police services in Aumsville. The estimated cost for this measure is an ESTIMATE ONLY based on the best information available from the county assessor at the time of the estimate.

Explanatory Statement

Increased property tax revenue from growth is enough to sustain the current four-officer police department. Financial forecasting confirms that funding is not available to hire additional officers to provide 24-hour police services without the passage of a tax levy.

At the present time, police services are provided between 18 and 20 hours a day, except when schedules are preempted by illness, vacation, or compensatory time off. During the regularly scheduled 4-6 hours that Aumsville does not provide police service, calls for service are routed to Marion County who then make the determination of whether or not to respond.

This tax levy would provide funding for 24-hour police coverage. The city would hire a fifth officer immediately and a sixth officer in November of 2007. This would increase the staff level to provide 24-hour coverage and reduce the city’suse of the Marion County Sheriff’s Department. The estimated salary and fringe benefits cost for the two additional police officers is $125,560 in FY 2007/2008, $135,146 in FY 2008/2009, $143,320 in FY 2009/2010, and $150,966 in FY 2010/2011. $5,008 was added to these figures as the estimated cost of supplies and equipment for these officers, for a total of $560,000. This calculates to the $140,000 per year requested for four years of local option tax revenue.

Aumsville is experiencing a high growth rate at this time and Marion County’s projected population of Aumsville in 2011 is 4001. Forecasting growth and the $560,000 total tax levy out over four years, averaged out to a taxpayer cost impact of $.93 cents per $1,000.00 of property value, per year. For a home assessed at $100,000, the estimated increase would be $112.00 the first year, $96.00 the second year, $84.00 the third year, and $81.00 in the final year. Its use would be restricted to General Fund transfers to the Police Fund. This is an ESTIMATE ONLY for this measure. It is based on the best information available from the county assessor and development in Aumsville planned at the time of the financial forecast.

Submitted by:

Maryann N. Hills, City Administrator City of Aumsville