Twice rejected at the polls, Butler Twp. is looking for other ways than a levy to fund its police department, and that oft-talked-about JEDD with Miller Lane is one of them.

“Our magical year is 2014,” said trustee Mike Lang. “We have enough (money) through then. We’re looking at going back on the ballot, but not right now. Hopefullly, we can reduce the millage and we’ll see what the JEDD brings in.”

The Joint Economic Development Districtmust be approved by the township, its partner, Vandalia (which would collect the tax money) and Montgomery County. It apparently is not the total answer.

“The JEDD assists, but it really doesn’t solve the problem,” said trustee Martin Russell. “We have a JEDD, and we’re expanding it. If you have four businesses in, you can bring in three more (involuntarily).”

WalMart and Sam’s Club are the target businesses, as they are the largest on Miller Lane. If every business in the area joined the JEDD, the township expects to be able to realize about $300,000 in income tax money.

That’s still not enough to make up for the $600,000 the township expected to reap from a 3-mill levy that was rejected by voters in August and again in November.

The police department, which operates on a $1.6 million budget, is down four officers, to 11, and is subsidized by more than $300,000 each year by the township’s general fund, which can not sustain that figure much longer. It will also cost the township more to get to full strength.

The township says it needs more money, and more officers. If it doesn’t find a way to raise the money by 2015, the department might have enough money to support only 5-6 officers.