By Kelly Cantwell
Editor

Goshen Township residents may be asked to vote on a police levy this November for the first time since 1991.

Goshen Trustees Lisa Allen and Bob Hausermann voted to approve a resolution of necessity, the first of two steps to put the levy on the ballot. Trustee Lois Pappas Swift was absent.

Once the township gets the certification of numbers from the Clermont County Auditor’s Office, they will vote on a resolution to proceed.

“I just believe that to do the job properly, you have to have the proper tools and if you don’t have the proper tools then you’re not going to do the job. Financing is very much the basis behind having all the proper tools.

“We have good people; they’ve got a tough job. I believe it’s our responsibility, I believe it’s the responsibility of all the citizens of Goshen Township to stand behind their Fire/EMS and their police department and make sure they have the proper tools,” Hausermann said.

There was a 4 mill safety services levy in 2002 that partially funds the police department. Most jurisdictions put replacement or renewal levies on the ballot every five years, said Chief Bob Rose.

He asked trustees for a five-year 3.4 mill levy that will generate $870,151 a year and cost the owner of a $100,000 home $9.92 a month. Rose plans to use the money to expand the department from eight full time officers, including the chief and the school resource officer, to 14.

Goshen has lost about a third of the department since 2011 and because there are just six full time officers to patrol the roads, it becomes very difficult to maintain full time coverage.

“What you end up with is a situation where you struggle to just keep one road patrol officer on duty 24 hours a day all the time, seven days a week,” Rose said.

The department also has three part time officers and a range officer that works less than one day a week on average. Rose plans to add a fourth part time officer in July.

Goshen has just under 16,000 residents and a jurisdiction area of 34 square miles. Rose cited other departments that have less residents and more officers, such as Milford and Loveland.

“I want this to pass so I came in bare bones,” Rose said.

He also pointed out that the department does not have a detective.

Since March, the department is working to provide quicker and more efficient coverage by increasing the K-9 unit road coverage, adding a part time officer, filling a full time vacancy, hiring a “working police chief” and not filling the administrative assistant to the chief position, Rose said.

On average, Goshen has two road patrol officers on duty 10.25 hours a day. Rose strongly believes that there should be two road patrol officers on duty 24 hours a day, and gave the trustees and the public examples of recent incidents in Goshen and other areas nearby, such as the incident involving a shooter in Deerfield Township.

“Don’t ever think that it can’t happen here,” Rose said.

He also used the examples to highlight the need for a detective to investigate cases, such as a suspicious death.

“It’s critical. It’s an emergency,” Rose said.

In 1974, Goshen passed a 1 mill police levy, in 1975 a 1.5 mill levy passed, in 1977 a 1 mill levy passed, in 1978 a .9 mill levy passed and in 1980 a 1.5 mill levy passed, all of which have since expired.

In 1980 a .9 continuing levy was passed, in 1983 a .9 mill levy passed, which was renewed, in 1984 a 1.5 mill continuing levy was passed and a 1 mill continuing levy was passed and in 1991 a 1 mill continuing levy was passed.

In 2002, a 4 mill continuing safety services levy was passed.

In 2008 and in 2012 the trustees put a safety services levy on the ballot that failed. Recently, a Fire/EMS levy passed, so that department is funded, Rose said.

The police department’s budget in 2016 was $1.24 million, but to get there they had to take $120,361 from their unencumbered, which is the department’s savings. In 2017, Rose plans to ask the trustees for the department’s budget to be $1.3 million, but to get there the department will have to take $175,416 from their unencumbered. That estimate does not include funds from the levy.

“The problem with using your unencumbered is that’s your savings. I couldn’t do that again in 2018 because I’ll be at or less than $100,000 left,” Rose said.

If the levy passes, Rose plans to use it to achieve six objectives: reduce crime, reduce the fear of crime, solve crimes, improve response times, improve the safety of officers and improve community support by being visible and involved in the community.

He would like to hire two road patrol officers and one full time detective, which would make the ratio less than one officer per 1,000 residents. In addition, Rose would continue to utilize part time officers with that goal of having three road patrol officers on duty a minimum of eight hours a day.

“There’s safety in numbers and one officer is not enough,” Rose said.

Rose also plans to start up bike patrol and senior visits, where officers identify and check in on vulnerable seniors in the community, again. In addition, Rose wants the department to be directly involved in the Clermont County Drug Unit.

“Thank you for the thorough report,” Allen said. She praised what the police department has been able to do despite a lack of funding.

Allen appreciates Rose being conservative in what he is asking for, and said she has heard from residents that they see the department needs to be better funded.

“I completely understand the need,” Allen said.