CORTLAND — City voters approved a 1.5-mill additional police levy to maintain current department operations and allow for two officers to work each shift.

According to complete and unofficial results from Trumbull County Board of Elections, the measure passed by a margin of 59% to 41%.

Police Chief David Morris said Tuesday evening he wasn’t surprised by the outcome because he heard from many residents who expressed support.

Officials have said the levy will raise $315,673 per year and cost the owner of a $100,000 home $53 annually.

Residents approved police levies in 2015 and again in 2020.

The city won’t begin collecting the new money until March, Morris said, adding, “We will have to keep our belts tightened for the next few months.”

Morris has said a collective bargaining agreement requires a minimum of two officers on duty per shift to maintain public safety. In the past, the department has relied on part-time officers to fill in the gaps and satisfy the agreement, thereby reducing overtime.

The department has nine full-time officers and one part-timer, though it’s approved to have eight part-time officers.

The part-time officer, according to officials, works a full-time job elsewhere and has been covering two open shifts on weekends in Cortland.

In 2019, more than 4,000 part-time hours were worked, and full-time officers had 1,200 hours of overtime. Morris has said one part-time officer worked 866 hours in 2024, which provided coverage for the two open weekend shifts. Full-time officers, during that same time, worked more than 4,000 hours of overtime, he said.

Council President Kevin Piros has said the money will allow the department to keep up with rising costs of operations, training, equipment and maintenance, and give residents the level of service they’ve come to expect.

Since 2020, there has been a sharp increase in health care and overtime costs, officials have said, and money from the 2020 levy has been exhausted and leaves the department operating on funding passed 10 years ago.

To minimize the impact on taxpayers, Morris has said, the department pursues grant money and receives private donations each year to upgrade equipment and technology.

The city’s general fund can be used to help with emergency expenses, but officials have said that’s not sustainable for long-term operation of the police department.

A 2.5-mill levy was placed before voters in 2024 that would have allowed the department to hire new officers, but voters rejected it.