Colerain Township Police Department: Levy Failure Fallout; Residents Weigh In

Levy failure fallout brings cuts to policing services.Photo byColerain Township, April 2024

It was a tough pill to swallow for Colerain Township when an overwhelming majority of residents voted against supporting a police levy - again. The property tax would have cost residents about $11 a month per $100K in home value. Over 55% of voters rejected the increase in their property taxes. Many residents complained the township spent $2M purchasing the vacated Sears building at Northgate Mall while others' primary complaint was the sticker shock from the 30+% increase in their current property taxes mandated by the state treasurer. The majority of voters opposing the levy reside on the more affluent, west side of Colerain. Lori McMullin, of the Greater Northbrook Community Group and a commissioner on the township's zoning board, lives on the east side of Colerain. She teared up at a trustee meeting,

I'm pissed! ... people didn't even show up to vote."

McMullin's primary concern was for the safety of Colerain police officers.

Trustees' primary concern is for their budget fallout.

Trustees anticipate a $4M shortfall next year if cuts aren't made.

Police Chief Ed Cordie put forth a notice to residents outlining the immediate cuts in services to Colerain residents. The notice, entitled, "Colerain Township Police Department Restructuring Response Model" was posted on the Colerain Police Facebook page. It stated:

Quality of life complaints (like noise and animal complaints) will be addressed case-by-case, based upon officer availability and emergency call volume.” The cuts specify that "the police department will no longer be able to answer the following calls for service" :

• Vacation Checks
• Solicitation (either door-to-door or panhandlers on exit ramps)
• Noise Complaints (loud music, construction noise, commercial vehicle noise, etc.)*
• Animal Complaints (unless someone’s safety in question)*
• Vehicle Lockouts (unless a child is locked in the car)
• Escorts for custody exchanges

Colerain Police Department calls report (2021) indicates the cuts amount to 26% of the department's calls for assistance.Photo byColerain Township, February 2022

Per a review of the Colerain Township Police, 2021 Annual Report, (the earliest version available online), these services comprise 26% of the township's policing activities. The report also indicates, at that time, the department was staffed with 28 officers and 14 support staff. That equates to 81% of the expenses in running the police department.

Between the 26% decrease in services and the 81% costs for staff, the police division staffing levels can be maintained.

However, residents have other suggestions, per a perusal of social media sites. According to one poster, "I observed 24 vehicles sitting at the administration building on Tuesday at the trustee's meeting - seems to me, we can cut back on our vehicle stock."

One way to cut costs might be to reduce the police cruiser stock.Photo byClip from Oprah Winfrey Network, October 15, 2011

Turns out, a few years back, the township opted to provide all officers their own cars - even those stationed at 1 location. The former police chief, Mark Denney, claimed it would save the township money in the long run. His proposal also permitted some officers to take their own cars home in the evening. This was proposed as an intended "perk" to recruit officers to the police force.

In Colerain, they're like Oprah, "You get a car, you get a car, everybody gets a car!"

Also, another poster mentioned the (14) support staff under the police budget.

Staffing changes shortly before the current police chief's appointment, brought over staff from the Zoning and Administrative Departments to the police department, drastically increasing staffing costs. It is far more expensive to pay a police officer and all their benefits to perform the work of a zoning/nuisance inspector than a staffer. The cost is nearly 3 times the historical costs when these positions were under the zoning department. Police officers cost the township approximately $140K a year for wages and benefits, not including a personal police cruiser.

Numerous staff are included in the police budget who historically belong under the administrative budget, including zoning staff.Photo byColerain Township, undated found April 2024.

In addition, rental registrations are now budgeted under the police department, as well as, vacant property registration and tall grass complaints. These are all functions that generally fall under administration - not police budgets.

The township has shifted the budget around to make it appear that the township policing is at stake when levies do not pass, when in reality, these costs should never have been under the police department in the first place.

One resident, who voted in favor of the levy, took another approach consistent with the suggestion of poster Jeff Moorman on the Facebook page, "What's Up, Colerain? ":

Forget cutting costs. Let's talk raising funds. Here me out -

She proposed at the trustee meeting that instead of jacking up the costs of everything from property taxes to service fees for residents, the township creates a JEDD, Joint Economic Development District, to encompass all properties currently owned by the township. Under a JEDD, any income earned in the district would be subject to a 2% income tax. Her position was that, since few of the township's employees live in Colerain - and therefore pay no property taxes here - they should pay the same income tax as their counterparts in North College Hill, Blue Ash, Cleves, Cheviot, and Cincinnati.

She asserts that Colerain employees who chose not to live in the township but receive highly competitive pay, extraordinary benefits, and perks above that of the average Colerain resident, should pay their "fair share" to upkeep the roads, emergency services, facilities, and budget they benefit from every day.

Additionally, creating a JEDD to cover all township property, would enable the township to impose the tax on both the Sears property and the old training center (for sale by the township for over $1M and located on East Miami River Road) with a continuing income tax. She believes expansion of JEDDs, like used in Green Township, could increase revenues without overburdening the residents of Colerain.

While the township approved increases to service fees for residents to raise revenues, it appears that some residents have the ingenuity to analyze financial circumstances and revenue-generating ideas that will not increase the cost of living in Colerain.