SIDNEY — Second time is the charm for Anna voters to get more police coverage for the village – maybe.
This year, unofficial results say 345 people voted for the levy, and 339 voted against it. It came down to an even closer margin this time – just six votes apart. This doesn’t count provisional ballots still yet to be counted. Last year, the additional income tax levy that will provide funds to hire another full-time police officer in the village, lost by 10 votes.
The village of Anna had a 90.51 percent voter turnout with 790 voters and 715 ballots cast.
“It’s just up to the residents to decide if they want to improve the policing situation in the village,” Village Administrator Wayne York told the Sidney Daily News in October.
A few years ago residents in the village expressed interest in increasing police coverage. Anna had a public discussion about whether to continue with its own police department or to contract with the Shelby County Sheriff for protection. A petition was circulated at that time with 511 signatures for Anna to keep its own police department.
So the Anna Village Council got to work looking at the police budget and decided the best way to put funds together to improve the policing in the village, and hire a second full-time police officer, would be a levy.
The funds generated from the additional tax will not only hire the extra officer, but provide better training, purchase equipment like bullet resistant vests, and patch the leaking roof at the police department.
The additional 0.25 percent income tax levy will raise the income tax rate from 1.75 percent to 2.0 percent total. The additional tax will be collected beginning Jan. 1, 2017.
