Staff photo / Brandon Cantwell Liberty police Chief Ray Buhala goes over the department’s budget and talks about why a 2.5-mill additional levy is needed for the department. The levy will appear on the May 5 ballot.

LIBERTY — The upcoming months look to be important for the township’s police department, as police officials will be looking for the support of residents for funding in 2027.

Trustees approved placing a 2.5-mill additional police levy on the May 5 ballot at a special meeting last week, providing the county’s board of elections with its language days later.

The levy would collect an estimated $823,492 per year, according to numbers from Trumbull County Auditor Martha Yoder. Broken down and at the tax rate of 2.5 mills for each $1 of taxable value, the township would bring in $88 for each $100,000 of Yoder’s appraised value.

The levy would be assessed in 2026 and collected the following year, according to the release.

Money would go toward providing essential funding to maintain staffing levels, replace aging equipment and continue ensuring public safety in the community.

Police Chief Ray Buhala said Friday the levy marks the first time in 22 years that the department has needed additional funds, explaining that they outgrew their 2004 levy in 2015.

“I think (Trustee) Greg Cizmar could tell you, the first year he was in office was in ’18, and his first official action was to sign a $450,000 bank loan to make payroll for the police department,” Buhala said. “So since 2015 to 2018, we were running a deficit with a manpower shortage of only 15 people; our fleet was aging — we were driving Crown Vicks with 150,000 miles on them.”

Buhala said a levy should have been implemented then, but trustees and the police chief were unwilling to do so.

He said the administration in 2016 and 2017 decided to go with the traffic cameras, which Buhala called the “band-aid on the bullet wound” from then until 2025, when legislation was passed to prevent townships from operating such programs.

Buhala said the department generated $900,000 annually from traffic violators, adding that the only revenue a township’s police department can get is through levies at this point.

“We’re not asking to be at, there’s a national average of 2.4 officers per thousand capita, which would put us at 28,” Buhala said. “We’re not asking that, even — we’re asking to kind of meet in the middle and get our staffing back up to 20.”

Buhala said the department has staffed 24 at most, sitting presently at 17.

“This levy is to help pay the bills and give our residents a police force that can continue to be proactive,” Buhala said.

Even if the department contracted with a nearby jurisdiction, Buhala said police officials would still have to ask for the levy for staffing.

Talks surrounding Vienna potentially consolidating with Liberty have swirled about in recent months, with Buhala giving a presentation to Vienna residents at a November regular meeting.

If Vienna were to contract with Liberty for policing, Vienna trustee Mike Haddle said then that the township’s levy funds would be paid out to Liberty as service dues.

“Their funds would barely cover the labor funds that it would take to patrol their jurisdiction with one officer 24 hours, seven days a week,” Buhala said. “That offer’s still not off the table in my mind. We still have interest in doing that, but here’s where I separate this. We need this regardless.”

“Whether this levy passes or not, that offer is still real, and I think it’s a benefit for their township, I think it’s a benefit for our township. I think that opens up federal and state dollar grants a lot more easily, because we are consolidating. I think we could see a benefit there. Regardless of our financial situation, I would still like to see some consolidation.”

Since 2004’s levy, Buhala said call volume has increased with business volume in the township, but the biggest change has been costs.

“We used to be able to buy a police car fully outfitted for $20,000; now you’re talking about $75,000 to outfit a car,” Buhala said. “You’re talking about insurance premiums that have kind of — everything’s increased.”

He said he “couldn’t believe” the budget his predecessors were working with then, $2 million with the levy in play, compared to the department’s $2.4 million in revenue without cameras.

Buhala said police officials plan to host town halls and “Coffee with Cops” events, encouraging the public to ask questions about the budget, and that he plans to put together some documents for full transparency.

“I don’t take lightly asking our residents, (I) never thought it was a fair mechanism to begin with, to expect our residents to have to pay for the services solely,” Buhala said. “Look at all the folks that are here that aren’t Liberty residents and basically, our residents have to foot that bill.”