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The Springfield News-Sun covers all of Clark County and what officials at townships and cities are doing to serve its residents including covering policing, trash contracts and government budgets.
Voters in the Mad River Twp. and Enon communities rejected levies aimed at providing more police services this past election cycle.
The results have left Mad River Twp. residents without an officer assigned to their community and have made staffing the Enon Police Department difficult for authorities to manage, according to officials.
Mad River Twp. had paid the Clark County Sheriff’s Office for several years to have a dedicated deputy, Jeff Wise, patrol the area and provide police protection for the township. Operating costs for the officer continued to climb, according to officials, and the township was forced to ask voters to approve an increase — less than $10 a year for an owner of a $100,000 home— to their property taxes in order to cover the costs.
The measure was defeated, and the township will now let the deputy go.
“We are very sad to lose our township deputy,” Mad River Twp. Trustee Kathy Estep said. “He knew the area well and provided us with excellent service.”
Mad River Twp. is now under the protection of Clark County sheriff’s deputies who will patrol the area along with the many other communities in the county without a police department or officer dedicated to the community.
“Needless to say we were shocked that it wasn’t approved,” Estep said, noting the community is safer when a deputy is dedicated to the area and its residents.
The township may go back to the ballot in the coming months and ask voters to approve the levy, Estep said, but she said no decision has been made and they would like to get community feedback before doing so.
Enon Police Chief Lew Wilcox said the additional money for his department that voters rejected would have went to hiring more officers. He said the department could have hired up to four full-time officers, but can only hire two because of monetary restrictions. The village has six part-time officers they rely on.
“My biggest issue right now is manpower. We are stretched,” Wilcox said. “We are OK, we can handle our calls and we can handle the sudden influxes, but there is just not enough comfort for me.”
The chief said he does not believe voters were voting against his department, but instead said he believes voters were “sending a message” that they want change across the board.
“I think it was a combination of everything,” he said. “People voted against additional levies across the board.”
The goal of the Enon Police Department is to provide 24-hour service, Wilcox said. He said the department will continue to do so, but it is something that is getting more difficult.
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