Voters easily approve Whitehall police levy; will allow renovation, expansion
Whitehall voters approved a ballot initiative Tuesday to expand funding for the Whitehall Division of Police that would allow the city to renovate and expand the police station and add six additional officers.
Whitehall residents who favored expanding police funding led by a vote of 60% to 40%, according to final, unofficial results from the Franklin County Board of Elections. 899 people had voted for the levy and 588 against.
Zach Woodruff, Whitehall city administrator, said the city was grateful that residents voted to approve the levy.
“At a time where inflation is going up and gas prices are going up, we are appreciative residents saw the investment in making Whitehall a safer place,” Woodruff said.
The new levy will 2.822 mills to support the Whitehall Division of Police. The levy would result in an estimated $8.23 monthly increase in property taxes for the owner of a $100,000 home.
The levy is expected to raise an estimated $790,000 in annual revenue for a police division that has already seen its annual city funding increase from $5.7 million in 2012 to $8.2 million this year — 23% of Whitehall's general fund.
Whitehall plans to spend $7 million to renovate the current 9,000-squarefoot station and add a 13,000-squarefoot expansion that would feature improved records management, a stateof-the-art dispatch center and a training facility. The main entrance and lobby would be named in honor of Terry Mcdowell, a Whitehall officer who was killed in the line of duty in August 2001.
The revenue from the levy will also help Whitehall hire six new police officers, which city officials have said is needed to combat crime.
Woodruff said "you can't understate" the impact the six new officers will have on the Whitehall community.
“This will allow us to put more officers on the street being proactive in policing and being able to provide additional safety to our businesses, residents and visitors,” Woodruff said.
Woodruff noted that the new expansion will allow the police division to enjoy “strategic enhancements in technology and dispatching.”
Since Whitehall Mayor Kim Maggard took office in 2012, police division funding has increased by 46%. In recent years, city leaders say that crime is on the decline due to a 2017 safety initiative resulting in significant changes in how Whitehall police officers handle runs and interact with residents. Cbehrens@dispatch @Colebehr_report