Perry Twp. Trustee Zach Music confirmed the proposal and contract is on the agenda for the meeting that begins at 6 p.m. at the township administrative building, 3025 Johnsvillle Brookville Road. However, he said there is no planned discussion.
Music said the proposal submitted by New Lebanon Police Chief Curtis Hensley was unsolicited, and that the township had not been considering disbanding the police department.
“We haven’t even discussed it. There’s nothing to even say on the matter,” he said.
The proposal calls for the village to assume responsibility for police and safety services to Perry Twp. and references “numerous discussions with the elected officials” and a review of the department’s revenues and expenditures.
Hensley said his proposal was not out of the blue.
“I was approached several months ago by numerous Perry Twp. residents expressing concerns they had over the fiscal state of the Perry Twp. Police Department, along with various other concerns,” he said.
Hensley said he reached out to a township trustee to see whether officials had heard those concerns. The trustee, whom Hensley did not name, said he was concerned with the department’s ability to continue without a sizable levy on the ballot, and Hensley said he reviewed the department’s financial statements.
The township’s police levies generate just over $670,000 a year.
“Based upon those numbers, I told him that I didn’t think that a professional, full-time, full-service police agency could be operated on their existing revenues,” said Hensley, who added that the trustee then asked him to investigate whether his department could serve the township.
Hensley also said he was asked to attend Tuesday’s meeting.
Littleton said the township police department has a force of five full-time officers and three part-time officers.
“Perry Twp. residents deserve to be served by their police department. That is why they have passed levies,” he said. “Even with our current manpower, Perry Twp. Police Department continues and will continue to provide excellent police services to the residents of Perry Twp.”
The New Lebanon Police Department is staffed with 10 full-time officers, one part-time officer and one auxiliary officer. According to the proposal, even with its existing force, the department would be able to provide one dedicated officer 24/7 to the township and a second officer for 20 hours a day, plus administrative and investigative support and training.
To fund the coverage, the township would need to turn over funding it generates from the police levies and also pay a portion of utility, cable and internet services.
The proposal also referenced gaps in coverage, with neighboring police agencies called to respond to the township. “This gap in coverage and lag time for response reduces the safety of the Township residents and it decreases the likelihood of solving crimes,” the proposal stated.
Littleton disputed the prevalence of gaps.
“Over the past two years, Perry Twp. Police Department has asked the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office for assistance with coverage on five difference occasions. Each occasion lasted anywhere from eight hours to a day for assistance,” he said.
Music said he has no problem with the service of the police department, but that if the proposal was considered, it would be due to financial reasons only.
“I think our police officers do a great job,” he said.
The trustee also said that he didn’t know whether the township was going to even look at the proposal but now that people in the community are talking about it, they have to discuss it.
New Lebanon also provides fire and EMS services to half of Perry Twp.; Brookville serves the other half.
Perry Twp. is a rural township with a population of about 6,000 that covers approximately 36.5 square miles. It is west of Trotwood, south of Brookville and north of New Lebanon in northwestern Montgomery County.
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