Voters in Austintown will decide this November whether to approve a levy benefiting the township's police department.  

It's now a group effort between the township's officers, trustees, and concerned residents to encourage the community before voters head to the polls.

"There's several things competing for our dollars and so we've stretched as far as we can we've done as much as we can," explained Lieutenant Bill Hoelzel with Austintown Police Department.   

The Austintown Police Department stresses the importance of this November's 2.4-mill levy. Without it, the department says it would have to roll back the current level of service offered.   

"We have a response time of about 3-5 minutes which I think is fantastic," explained Bruce Shepas. "We currently have five officers that patrol per shift. We are currently short four officers and we know there are at least two more retiring next year."

21 News told you back in July the levy would cost about $84 each year for a $100k home. Dollars generated would add four officers, replace retiring officers, maintain training programs, continue key investigations, and update tech, equipment, and vehicles.

But Austintown already has four police levies in the township, generating $5.6 million for its police department every year. The most recent levy was a 3.2-mill levy passed back in 2018. 

Austintown voters approved a 3-mill continuous levy benefiting the township's fire department back in 2023, costing $105 each year for a $100k home. 

"This levy will help us to maintain that staffing level to maintain our presence in several different task forces and maintain our presence in the community as it stands," Hoelzel said.

The department has scaled back in recent months, disposing of its Cellebrite technology used to manage department data, and cutting extensive police training. Working to keep the levy as modest as possible.

"The police department is at a $1.3 million deficit," Shepas added. "So we have to make some cuts. So we stopped buying new cruisers. We stopped updating our technologies. The money is just not there."

"We're hoping that they see the value in what it is we're asking for," Hoelzel added. "And we're hoping that they'll put those dollars towards our needs and our services towards the community."

If this levy would pass, it's estimated to have a 10-year life expectancy.  

The township recently accepted a $750k Community Oriented Policing Services grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, which is preventing any lay-offs in the department.   

Township officials and the police department concluded a public informational session with high hopes Wednesday, believing the public will vote in favor of November's levy.     

Election Day is Tuesday, November 5.