LIBERTY TWP.

Voters here approved a 3-mill renewal levy Tuesday that pays for the townships law enforcement services, according to final, unofficial results from the Butler County Board of Elections.

The Butler County Sheriffs Office provides service to Liberty Twp.s 38,800 residents. Taxpayers started paying for those services via a levy in 1995, then approved a 3-mill renewal levy in 2005 and a 3-mill replacement levy in 2009, officials said.

Collections for that levy, which generate on average around $2.4 million, were set to expire at the end of this year.

The township asked residents to approve the renewal levy to continue receiving those funds, which pay for a nearly $2.5 million police budget that covers police protection and equipment the township receives via the Butler County Sheriffs Office.

Trustee Vice President Tom Farrell said one of the most important things any township is responsible for is ensuring the safety of its citizens.

We cant do it without the help of the police and the fire department and we cant do that without the help of the taxpayers to make sure that they keep the dollars in there to make sure we can afford the police force they deserve, Farrell said. By voting this in, obviously, it gives us the confidence that theyre willing and they appreciate the support that theyre given.

Approval of the levy does not come with a tax increase. Taxes will remain at approximately $94 a year for a home valued at $100,000, according to township officials.

Ian Mead, 51, of Liberty Twp., said he supported the Liberty Twp. police levy, but only because it was not seeking an increase in the tax collection.

Im very anti-tax, Mead said.

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Liberty Twp. voters approve police levy renewal