Aurora Police Department hopes to pass safety levy November 5

The City of Aurora, an affluent community, will vote November 5, on the Aurora Safety Levy, also known as Issue 7. This 1.2 mil levy would raise the property taxes of Aurora residents but bring needed funding to the police department. Reporters Emily Moran and Jenny Harvey examined the levy and took a closer look at just what residents know about the levy, why it is necessary, and if residents will vote in favor of the levy come November 5. In her video, Harvey looks at just what residents know about the levy, if they plan to vote,  and if the issue is indeed well-known by residents. In her story, Moran looks at what the police chief has to say about the levy, what residents are saying about the levy, how much it will cost residents and also why the levy is needed by the police department.

[rpavideo caption= “In this video, TV2 reporter Jenny Harvey takes a look at Issue 7, what the passage of the issue will bring to Aurora and what the residents are saying.   “]RPA_05_HARVEY_ELECTION[/rpavideo]

Aurora Police Chief says funding necessary to ensure city safety

by Emily Moran

Aurora, OH — The 1.2-mill Aurora Safety Levy or Issue 7, that appeared on the ballot in the May Primary Election in Aurora and did not pass, will appear on the ballot again Tuesday. Residents will have yet another chance to vote on the safety levy Aurora Chief of Police Seth Riewaldt said is needed by the Aurora Police Department. Chief Riewaldt said the department is in need of proper funding that would ensure the department’s technological and staffing needs. Chief Riewaldt said in 2008, the city realized it was in need of more officers to handle all of the calls the department was receiving.

About the levy

“In about 2008 we realized that the activity for the department, the population and the business changes here in town, told us that there weren’t enough officers to handle calls,” Chief Riewaldt said.

Chief Riewaldt said the police department came up with a plan and presented it to City Council. The plan was called the “community enhancement team.” This team would consist of two officers and a sergeant to answer radio calls only.

“So this team looked at where crashes happened: time of day, location and they would saturate patrol in those locations,” Chief Riewaldt said.

After the community enhancement team was put in place in 2008, in just two years, the injury/crash rate dropped 44 percent. Unfortunately in 2010 during the midst of the financial crisis, the Aurora Police Department had two officers retire and was unable to hire two more due to funding. The community enhancement team also deteriorated and the department was unable to replace three cop cars at the time. Since then, he said theft crimes and traffic related crimes have increased.

“The idea of the levy is, and what I have been trying to tell people is, the safety of the community is too important to decide when someone retires,” Chief Riewaldt said.

He said the levy would protect the department’s ability to keep proper staffing at all times regardless of the economy and pay for technological needs of the department. He said the department needs to have funding available for cars, portable radios, dash cams, laptops, and other gadgets used by the police department. The levy would also allow the department to hire four more officers which would make the ratio of officers to residents, 9.3. The population of Aurora is currently around 16,000.  He said the community enhancement team would be implemented once again with some changes. Chief Riewaldt said the average home owner in Aurora would pay $84 a year in property taxes to support the police department funding.

Spreading the word

He said he has not had the chance to get much information about the safety levy to the media and therefore many of the residents do not know much about the levy.

“It’s hard. There really isn’t any platform I can use to get these lengthy discussions out there,” he said.

Janet Crate, an Aurora resident, said she did not know much about the levy at all and she did not think the levy was necessary or needed for the police department.

“The police department is already properly funded in my opinion,” Crate said.

She said the police department would really need to prove to her that they needed more funding and why. She said she had not heard enough about it to give a solid opinion about the issue.

Joe Cavotta, another resident of Aurora, said he also had not heard much about the safety levy but said he would be in favor of it.

“I am willing to pay $84.00 a year if it helped the city. Most people waste at least that each month throwing out food or buying something they don’t need. So, doing something positive with the money is great,” Cavotta said.

He said he thinks spending more money to acquire police staff and technology is a good thing.

“I’m for positive spending,” Cavotta said.

Aurora City Councilman’s opinion

John Kudley, an Aurora City Councilman who is also running for mayor on Tuesday, said he is the only member on City Council who supports Issue 7.

“As a member of the City Council, nothing is more important than the city’s safety. This levy would help offset the money the city has lost,” Kudley said.

Kudley said the levy is needed due to loss of government funding and now the estate tax in Aurora.

“The citizens will be protected one way or another, whether the levy passes or not,” Kudley said.