Police Levy

Beavercreek residents will vote on a 2.5 mills police levy on the 2022 November ballot. Funds generated the levy will be used to maintain and increase the police department’s service levels, including the hiring of 5 additional police officers; purchase and maintain needed equipment; and provide additional funding for long-term capital for a facility. If approved, this levy would raise property taxes beginning in 2023 by $87.50 per $100,000 of appraised value.

What will the police levy provide?

  • Maintain and increase the police department’s service levels
  • Hire 5 additional police officers 
  • Purchase and maintain needed equipment 
  • Additional funding for long-term capital for a facility 

What will it cost? 

  • A 2.5 mills police levy would raise property taxes beginning in 2023 by $87.50 per $100,000 of appraised value

Why 5 additional police officers?

  • Current authorized staffing levels includes 50 police officers to protect and serve a city of nearly 47,000 residents 
  • Depending on shift, there are typically 4 to 6 officers on duty at a time 
  • FBI data suggests the police department should have 68 police officers 
  • Beavercreek has one of the lowest officer-to-resident ratios when compared to many surrounding police departments 
  • Click here to read an article about police department's staffing levels published on page 4 of the 2021 Winter Beavercreek In Touch
  • Increasing calls for service and traffic activity associated with two major shopping areas, I-675 and U.S. 35, expanding business and residential sectors, and proximity to Wright State University and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (Ohio’s largest single-site employer) 
  • In 2021, officers responded to a total of 40,541 calls for service, the most calls the department has ever received 
  • Click here to read an article about the city's increase in demand for services published on the front page of the 2022 Spring Beavercreek In Touch

Why does the police department need a new facility?

  • Assessment conducted by architectural company found police building has several deficiencies in programming, security, infrastructure, and physical facility conditions that limits operations and increases risks of safety and security for officers and staff
  • In reports conducted by Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), the agency listed concerns about the department’s building due to the lack of property and evidence storage inside of the building and the department’s need for off-site storage
  • Click here to read more about the Beavercreek Police Department's building deficiencies 

When was the last time the city requested new funding for police? 

  • The last time voters approved additional funding for the police department was 2014
  • Economic conditions affect a levy’s cycle primarily due to inflationary factors, for police this includes salaries, equipment, fuel, etc. 
  • At the beginning of a levy cycle, levy revenues exceed expenditures until inflationary factors cause expenses to outpace funds generated by levy
  • Once expenses exceed a levy’s revenue, the city uses funds that accumulated at the beginning of the levy cycle to balance the budget 
  • Due to the levy cycle effect, the city’s police levy fund shows expenditures are outpacing revenue by $1.8 million in its 2022 budget, projections show this trend will continue without additional funding

Why another police levy?

  • More than $8.92 million or 78% of the police department’s budget is used for personnel costs
  • The Beavercreek Police Department is primarily funded by property tax levies, which represents approximately 92% of the department’s funding 
  • City voted levies are fixed, meaning the amount the city receives from voted levies does not change based on the county auditor’s reappraisal or home value
  • Historically, property tax revenue grows on an average of 2% or less per year, but inflationary factors on expenses are projected to well exceed 2%