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GOSHEN TOWNSHIP - Residents in Goshen and Green townships are being asked to approve police levies on the November ballot to support the Goshen Police District.
Goshen Township residents will see a 1.3-mill, five-year levy on the ballot, while Green Township residents will see a 2-mill, five-year levy on their ballot. The Goshen levy will cost residents $45.50 annually for a $100,000 home, generating approximately $105,190 annually. The Green levy will cost residents $70 annually per $100,000, generating approximately $191,000. Police Chief John Calko said the levies will bring the Green Township portion of the police district into proportion with Goshen Township's.
The police district also covers the Village of Beloit, but that contract is adjusted as needed and is not part of the levy, Calko noted.
Calko said this request is the first increase in tax since 2006.
"Like every local agency in the tri-county area, everyone is in a financial deficit right now," he said. "The state has cut funding for certain aspects of law enforcement and now we have to ask the community for support."
Calko said the income for the department has stayed the same the past several years, but expenses have been growing. As a result, the district has had to dip into its savings to pay the bills.
"So now our savings are getting depleted," Calko noted. "Without the additional funding, the department won't be able to provide the current quality of service we have right now."
According to Calko, money from the levy will be used for equipment upgrades, training and personnel retention and hiring.
khowell@salemnews.net