SABINA — Saying he will make the adjustments necessary to operate the village in the black, Mayor Dean Hawk said Thursday that police coverage can no longer be around-the-clock everyday.
The announcement was made in a village council meeting, a couple days after an earnings tax question was turned down at the ballot box, 482 votes against (55 percent) to 394 votes for (45 percent).
“There will be times when we’re not covered,” the mayor reported. “It [the times that no officer is on the job] will be moved around, so that there is no pattern and so there is no way that anyone can tell [ahead of time].”
The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office will be informed of the hours that Sabina Police Department will not be covering the village, said Hawk.
The Sabina Police Department is comprised of four full-time officers counting the chief, and one part-time officer. According to the 2010 census figures, the population in Sabina was 2,564.
Referring to the tax issue’s defeat, Hawk stated, “We are not happy with the outcome, but the people have spoken and I will make the adjustments necessary to operate the village in the black. We are investigating many things at this time and it seems to me that many of the things that are being paid for from the General Fund are things we really enjoy.”
One thing that’s not going to happen, said the mayor, is turning off street lights “as has been suggested.” Due to a long-term contract for the utility poles and fixtures, it would not save enough money to be worthwhile, he said.
Hawk added, “It has been suggested that we have the village policed by the sheriff department and we are at this time investigating this possibility.” Contracting with the county sheriff’s office for coverage, of course, costs money.
In late August, Sabina Village Council passed legislation that proposed a transfer of $200,000 from the Sabina Sewer Fund to general operations, including police. Sabina Law Director Melissa Upthegrove said Thursday all paperwork has been submitted to Columbus where the Ohio tax commissioner needs to approve the proposed fund transfer, prior to the village petitioning the local court of common pleas to grant approval, too.
After the village council meeting concluded, resident and Sabina Historical Society member Carl Anders told the mayor the organization, in light of the tax issue failing, has decided it will pay the total cost of an extended 10-year lease upfront now to the village — a $5,000 figure for the General Fund. The organization’s museum is located on the second floor of the Sabina Municipal Building.
The village police force was a focus of discussion during much of the council session. Resident Abe Arnold said he has heard feedback from residents who say the language of the village tax issue on Tuesday’s ballot didn’t say anything specifically about police coverage, and so some voters were unclear as to the purpose of the tax increase.
Another resident, Gary Goodman, said there is not enough interaction between police and townspeople, adding that is the case with both the youth and with the adults in the village.
“Police have to have interaction with the public. I don’t see that [occurring],” said Goodman. He elaborated he thinks a lot of people are scared of police, and so there needs to be times when police get out of the patrol car and just talk and shake hands around town.
The town’s contracted trash collection service for residents in 2017 will be performed by Community Sanitation of Ohio (CSO). It will succeed Caribou Sanitation LLC which earlier had advised village officials it wouldn’t seek a new trash pickup contract.
Residents still will have the option to choose a trash pickup business on their own to collect trash at their household, as presently is the case.
The cost will be $13.45 per month, without a recycling option. That price is more than $3 a month less than what Caribou Sanitation is charging, said the mayor.
The weekday for trash pickup with CSO will be Wednesdays.
There was discussion that there needs to be crossing guards for Sabina Elementary School students. The school grounds are along U.S. Route 22/State Route 3 as the highway goes through town. Sabina Fiscal Officer Nancy Cornell said two elementary students at the school recently ran out in front of the car she was driving.
Council’s Development Committee, chaired by Councilman Jim Mongold, will meet 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15 at the municipal building, with the topic being the Safe Routes’ crossing guard program.
Remarking it is a little early for the announcement, Sabina Village Administrator Rob Dean said there will be a Christmas tree drop-off at the village park by the water tower after the holiday. It will be free of charge, he said.
Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768.
