Police Fund: 12% Increase

Police Fund: Spending increased 11.85% in the police department compared to an inflation rate of 10.24%. The one-and-one-half percentage difference is relatively negligible, and amounts to less than $100,000 of a $6.7 million annual budget. Service has remained constant, training has increased drastically, and the 2005 Police Levy which was originally projected to last only until 2009, is now projected to last until 2013. The extension of the 2005 levy is in addition to the trustees' taking a tax holiday on an older police levy, saving township property owners $2.7 million.

Tax Holiday Extended in Police Department

As we begin the 2010 budget process, the Sylvania Township Trustees unanimously voted to extend the tax holiday that I first introduced in 2007. In total, this tax holiday will save Sylvania Township taxpayers $1,050,000 in 2010 and approximately $2,700,000 over three years.

We took this step because the Police Department is on sound financial footing while maintaining quality service levels that the Township has come to expect. This was possible through the hard work and dedication of our officers and department staff in watching expenses, while at the same time we negotiated reasonable raises and bonuses for these employees, something that many other governments are unable to do during this economic climate.

DeeDee Liedel Announces Re-Election Campaign

Today I filed petitions for re-election as Sylvania Township Trustee so I am officially kicking off my campaign with a Sylvania Township Update.

Over the last several years, the focus of discussions has mostly revolved around the Fire Department. While the Fire Department is vital to our community, so are other services provided by the township including our Police Department. For the most part, the Police Department operates with little controversy and within its budget. But I wanted to take the time to talk about the changes and improvements that have taken place in the Police Department over the last few years.

Increasing Training, Improving Safety

We have a police staff of about 60 personnel. In my first year in office, 2006, as we began the process of reviewing police operations, those employees underwent less than 800 hours of training, for an average of about 2 days of training per person. That's not a lot, in my opinion, for people charged with keeping the residents, businesses and visitors of Sylvania Township safe.

So far in 2009, our police staff has undergone over 3,000 hours of training, an increase of 400% … and we're not done for the year. It is vital that our officers, detectives, dispatchers, records clerk, etc., have up-to-date information on the current status of the law, proper and new procedures for dealing with various situations, procedures for handling evidence, etc. Law enforcement is not a static environment. The processes and procedures are ever changing and the Sylvania Township Police Department must stay on top of those changes.

Along with the increase in total training hours, a structured training program has been implemented. No longer are only the 'favored' officers given training opportunities, but every employee is given certain basic training while advanced training opportunities are provided to those who wish to grow and learn more about their profession and how to provide better services and protection to our community.

A lot of this training is conducted in-house, a cost effective way to address the training needs of the department while controlling costs. The new training practice in the Sylvania Township Police Department will improve the safety of our community and our employees, an important step for keeping Sylvania a quality community.

Improving Fire Dispatch

The Sylvania Township Police Department provides dispatch services not just for the Police Department but for our Fire Department as well. Our dispatchers work 24/7 to keep communications open between our officers and other safety personnel and it is imperative that the dispatch center works to the benefit of both departments. Making dispatch calls for both police and fire can have added complications. In the past, these complications were overlooked and ignored, sometimes making the Fire department's job more difficult.

This past year, the Fire Department and Police Department worked together to develop the Sylvania Township Fire Department Communication Manual, which contains dispatching protocol to help improve the efficiency of fire dispatching and guide training opportunities for the dispatchers. This manual is a vital component that will make sure the needs of the Fire Department are met when units are called to a fire or emergency medical situation.

City/Township Joint Strategic Response Team Formalized

Sylvania Township and the City of Sylvania police departments have always cooperated when needed. However, earlier this year we formalized this relationship with the City, in order to provide better response in unusual circumstances by forming the Sylvania Metro Strategic Response Team to respond to high-risk situations jointly throughout the Sylvania community. This provides broader coverage for our community while minimizing the costs to both governments. Our officers will train together at times, and be available in both communities when the need arises.

While this is an improvement to services in Sylvania Township, in reality the departments work together on a variety of issues including sharing information about local crimes, training together, and in general working to make Sylvania safer.

Introduction of Citizens Volunteer Patrol

For years, the Sylvania Township Police Department has had an active Police Academy Alumni - resident who have participated in a short training session about the department. These alumni have been active in fund raising and providing other support for our department. Last year, our Police Chief took that one step further and saw fit to create a Citizens Volunteer Patrol division.

Members of the Volunteer Patrol division volunteer their time to patrol neighborhoods and work during special events. They provide added eyes in the area to report problems, anything from burned out street lights to suspicious behavior to driving by homes where we know the residents are on vacation. During busy events such as the annual July 3rd Fireworks, they provide added traffic control to make sure residents make it home safely.

These volunteers are an important addition to our community, showing that residents are truly involved and invested in making Sylvania a safe place to live and work. I appreciate their dedication to Sylvania Township.

Minding Your Money

All of the above has been done while maintaining a tight control on spending. In the last three years, I have pushed for and achieved a tax holiday in the police department, totaling over $2.2 million - money that you the taxpayer has been able to keep. At the same time, we have extended the life of the 2004 police levy by 4 years. The 2004 levy was originally projected to last until 2009. Current projections indicate we can delay going back to the voters for more money until 2013. This was not done easily - it takes careful planning and constant monitoring of the budget. But I am proud that we have been able to improve the services provided by the Police Department while controlling spending.

Another Sylvania Township Police Officer Suspended

It was only two weeks ago that we had our first public disciplinary hearing in almost 2 decades, yet we held another hearing at our meeting Wednesday evening. This time the charges were much more serious and were dealt with accordingly.

Remember, it is a part of the Ohio Revised Code as well as the union contract that police department employees have the right to a disciplinary hearing before the trustees for charges which may result in time-off.

In this particular case, the officer - Sergeant Robert Colwell - attempted to waive the trustees hearing after we had already filed charges. In fact, Sgt. Colwell wanted to waive the trustee hearing only after seeing the results of our last disciplinary hearing. After having received an email from Sgt. Colwell's attorney late on Nov. 4 again stating that they wanted to waive the trustees hearing, we discussed the request in executive session at our meeting on the evening of November 5. Unfortunately, Mr. Colwell declined to attend the hearing nor did he send his attorney to represent him. As a result, we proceeded with the hearing.

Sgt. Colwell was charged with several serious offenses. We carefully listened to the testimony of four witnesses and had the opportunity to ask our own questions. Ultimately, we found Sgt. Colwell in violation of several department policies as follows:

1. Sgt. Colwell had two unsecured firearms in an area of the Sylvania Township Police Department which is accessible by visitors, witnesses, suspects, victims, and other non-department persons. The weapons were left unsecured in Sgt. Colwell's former office after he was transferred to another department from the Detective Bureau. How long they were unsecured before his transfer, we don't know. This was clearly in violation of the department's policy on Weapon Security.

2. Sgt. Colwell failed to properly process evidence; he did not log it into and out of the property room as actions necessitated. As a government entity, we must be careful to account to each piece of property which comes in to our control. This is an obligation that we owe not only to the public in general, but victims and accused in order to ensure justice in criminal situations. Again, the department has a clear policy on handling of evidence which in this case was violated by Sgt. Colwell.

3. Also in regard to evidence, Sgt. Colwell failed to properly log a laptop computer into the property room and left the laptop in his former office, untagged and unsecured for over one year. This action breached the evidentiary chain of custody for the laptop, rendering any evidence that may have been contained on the laptop vulnerable to tampering and thus challenge if criminal charges were brought regarding evidence contained on the laptop. Sgt. Colwell has a clear duty to follow proper procedures so that evidentiary issues are clear and evidence is not compromised.

4. Finally, as a detective, Sgt. Colwell was charged with properly maintaining and filing reports regarding cases that he investigated. When Sgt. Colwell was transferred to another department, he failed to correctly report the disposition of several cases involving identity theft and forgery. This is in violation of the township's policy on Departmental Reports.

In summary, the trustees unanimously authorized a 15-day suspension (without pay) and a written reprimand. The offenses Sgt. Colwell was charged with were serious and are at the heart of the integrity of our police department and how it is viewed not only by our residents and businesses but the criminal justice system itself.

To respond to accusations that this was retaliation against union activity, let me say that we did not act in retaliation for any specific or general union involvement. I expect every employee to conduct themselves in a manner that is in compliance with township policy and Ohio law. Union activity does not elevate an employee above rules and regulations. The safety and security of our residents is of utmost importance; failing to follow policy and procedures that are necessary for a properly functioning police department cannot be tolerated.

I would love for these disciplinary hearings to be handled internally, without the public hearings. The township attempted to change the union contract language to that affect during our recent negotiations. The union disagreed, and ultimately the conciliator agreed with the union. So we will continue to have these hearings as long as employees wish to selectively bring discipline matters to the board.

DeeDee Liedel
Sylvania Township Trustee

Sylvania Township Trustees Suspend Police Officer

Under the provisions of Ohio Revised Code §505.491, the Sylvania Township Board of Trustees took action to suspend a police officer for three days, without pay. This was a decision which was made after all proper steps were taken, including the filing of charges on October 7, 2008 against Officer Ron Dicus followed by a hearing held during our regular township trustee meeting October 21, 2008. While having a disciplinary hearing during a public meeting may seem inappropriate, it is in fact required under the Ohio Revised Code unless waived by the police officer.

This discipline process was started because an officer refused to follow a direct and lawful order. After 11 days elapsed and the officer remained in violation of the order, he was notified that he was insubordinate and the discipline process was started. The officer was given the opportunity to waive the public hearing in front of the trustees by having the Chief of Police hear the discipline charges but the officer chose not to.

Insubordination, the failure to follow a direct order, is a serious offense in a police department. The safety of our residents, visitors and employees depend upon police officers following orders. Our officers need to know without a doubt that their fellow officer will follow lawful orders given to them. We cannot have individual officers determining which orders they choose to follow and which orders they will ignore.

If an officer disagrees with an order, for example if they believe it is in violation of the union contract, proper procedure would be to follow the order and then file a grievance and allow the grievance procedure to work in determining if it was a lawful order under the contract. But this did not happen in this case, the officer chose instead to ignore the order until discipline procedures were started.

Given the totality of the situation, I believe the township trustees had to act unanimously in disciplining Officer Dicus for insubordination when he failed to follow a direct order. We cannot have the uncertainty that would be created if our police officers do not know which order a fellow officer will follow; their very lives could depend on having confidence that orders will be followed.

Now I come to the part which will trigger questions: the order Officer Dicus was given and failed to follow was to trim his mustache. The obvious question is "should he really be suspended just because he didn't trim his mustache?" While that may be an obvious question, it is not the issue. Bottom line is that the officer failed to follow an order. Period. As was laid out at the hearing, the Sylvania Township Police Department has a policy on personal appearance and grooming, including the appropriate grooming of mustaches. Officer Dicus received and acknowledged the policy yet he chose to ignore the direct order. He never raised concerns or objections to the policy prior to his discipline.

As mentioned earlier, the officer could have waived his right to a hearing before the trustees, as other police officers at the township have done when discipline was necessary in other cases. But I believe this was a calculated decision by the union to not waive the trustee hearing, and set up a situation which had the potential to make the trustees either 1) cave in light of the potential bad publicity of disciplining a police officer over a mustache or 2) look bad for being so petty as to discipline a police officer over a mustache.

Ohio law requires that trustees hold a hearing in order to discipline a police officer with time off. If the trustees do not follow through on such hearings and subsequent discipline (i.e., we cave), we would potentially be in the position of never being able to discipline a police officer. If we fail to support our Chief of Police in implementing and enforcing policies that we have directed and supported him in developing in order to improve and enhance our police department, we would be creating chaos and encouraging an atmosphere which would jeopardize the safety and protection of our residents, visitors and employees. That is not something that I am willing to do.

Some might say it was wrong to discipline a police officer over a mustache. But this was not just a mustache - this was willful disregard of a direct lawful order. I will not encourage an atmosphere in our police department where our Chief is powerless and the union is running the department. Officer Dicus was given a lawful order and he chose not to follow it. That is insubordination and the trustees acted appropriately.

Tax Holiday Expanded but Still Not Enough

The good news first: we have expanded the tax holiday that I lobbied for last year. We chose not to collect approximately $700,000 in property taxes for the police department this year, 2008. As we begin the budgeting process for 2009, we voted not to collect $1,050,000 in property taxes for the police department, expanding the tax holiday to township residents.

Despite reducing revenue by over $1 million, initial projections indicate that the 2004 police levy will last another 3 years. If we had not declared a tax holiday, the police levies would last an additional 10-15 years, making taxpayers today pay for services that will not be rendered for almost 15 years. That is not logical and is why I supported the decision to roll back taxes on our residents.

While this increased tax holiday is great, I don't believe it is enough. For the last three years I have been asking that we develop and implement an investment policy, a cash reserves policy, long-term plans for the general fund, and capital improvement plans for all departments. While we have not focued on these long-term financial issues, our cash balance continues to increase - we are spending less money then we collect. While at first glance this is great, the reality is that we are taking money from the pockets of our residents and businesses and we don't know if we need it or how it will be spent.

I asked that my fellow trustees consider choosing not to collect the 0.5 mill inside levy which collects about $700,000, funds a small portion of our general fund and is assessed against all township and city property owners. I made this request because I object to the township continuing to collect money with no real plans on how to spend it. I firmly believe that if government has money, they will figure out a way to spend it; that doesn't mean we need it.

There was not support for the general fund tax holiday from my fellow trustees. Part of the reason for that is the timing - we have to certify amounts to the auditor's office before we really start the budgeting process, so I'll admit that it's hard to know at this point whether or not we really need that $700,000. But I still hate the thought that we continue to collect all monies available to us while our cash balance improves.

I did secure from my fellow trustees commitments - on the record - to make sure we work to get the policies in place, the plans developed, the processes in order so that next year when we can give serious consideration to the general fund tax holiday. I will hold them to that commitment.

Police Union Negotiations

It's been a bit of a rough year, as our police department unions have been working without a contract since October 1, 2007. Despite this internal unrest, our police personnel have continued to serve the residents, businesses and guests of Sylvania Township to their highest ability and I appreciate and respect their dedication to our community.

During the past year, we have been diligently negotiating with all three police unions, but the process has been long as there were numerous issues that we had to address in order to increase the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the police department, while maintaining the quality service that our community expects.

Certainly, working without a contract is not necessarily conducive to productive labor-management relationships. It was not a situation that I was pleased with, but clearly we have to have a union contract structure that allows us to make the management decisions necessary to operate the police department in the best interests of the public.

But the final outcome of the union negotiations resulted in 3.0-3.5% raises for each of the next two years (plus one year retroactive); in addition, there was a $1500 signing bonus. In exchange, we have the right to implement a more cost effective health insurance plan (an 80-20 plan as compared to our current 100%/fully-insured plan) with employee contributions of 10% (up from about 2.5%) and more management flexibility in manning levels and shift supervision. We were denied our requests to set up more flexible shifts and to change the disciplinary process to a structure that would be more respectful of individual personnel.

I don't view contract negotiations as a win-win type of things; we all lose something. But hopefully now that the process is over, we can get past the unfortunate consequence of being on opposite sides of the bargaining table and focus all of our energies on providing efficient and effective safety services.

Police Citizen Patrol

With the success of the Citizens' Police Academy, the police department has been able to launch a new endeavor designed to enhance the quality of life in Sylvania Township. As explained on the police department's website:

"The Citizen Patrol is an extension of the [Sylvania Township Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association] that expands their ability to serve the Sylvania Township Community. The Citizen Patrol works in partnership with the Sylvania Township Police Department and supplements the efforts of its sworn officers in keeping the community a safe and enjoyable place to live, work, and visit.

Volunteers patrol designated areas in a marked Sylvania Township Citizen Patrol Vehicle and wear the Citizen Patrol Uniform, both bearing their distinctive burgundy and yellow logo. Citizen Patrol volunteers conduct high visibility, crime prevention patrols and act as observers and reporters of criminal and/or suspicious activity. Citizen Patrol Volunteers do not carry firearms and are not sworn police officers.

All members of the Citizen Patrol have received specialized training and undergone extensive criminal history checks. Members of the Citizen Patrol must follow all rules, regulations, and standards of conduct set forth by the Sylvania Township Police Department. "

This is a great addition to our community. I applaud the police academy alumni, Chief Metzger and Officer Sarah Toth for their initiative and dedication to our community. If you would like to learn more about the Police Academy and their work including the citizens patrol, please visit the police department's website at: Volunteer Citizen Patrol

Finally, Let's Talk Money

At the end of 2007, cash resources of the Township increased by $5,737,488.46 from the end of 2006. This includes an increase of over $3.2 million in the general fund; almost $700,000 increase in the police fund; and almost $250,000 in the fire fund (this carryover balance will help maintain service levels in the fire department for 2008 until the department begins to receive the new levy revenue).

The only major fund that had a decrease in fund balance from 2006 to 2007 was the Road & Bridge Fund. The decrease was $17,000. The road department works on a different budgeting horizon, often saving up cash resources for several years in planning a large road project, so it is not unusual for the cash balance to vary greatly from year to year. Bottom line is that despite this small decrease in cash balance, the road department is in good financial position.

What does this mean, to have increased cash resources by almost $6 million to $14,282,862.35? Some believe this means we are being careful with taxpayers dollars, simply by having not spent all the money we received. (Having excess cash is good, but it is not necessarily evidence that wasteful spending does not happen.) Others believe that all of this money means we should be spending more in the fire department. (Just because we have money doesn't mean we should spend it. All township services should be efficient and effective, so that we are not wasting money. ) And still others believe that this means we should be cutting taxes and letting our residents and businesses keep more of their money.

The right answer is probably a combination of all of these. It's a delicate balance and obviously there is a wide range of opinions s to whether that balance has been met. But I continue work hard to do what I can to keep a good balance of keeping cash reserves, spending wisely, and keeping taxing as low as possible so that we stay "A Place to Grow".

Township Taxes Reduced!

It took a little bit of work, but I did it - I have reduced your taxes. I firmly believe that we can run government more efficiently without reducing services, thus saving you, the taxpayer, money. This is a step in that direction.

In the last few months, it became apparent to me that the police department has more in cash reserves, almost double, than was expected after voters passed the 2004 2.5 mil levy. Clearly, we have enough money to operate the police department at current levels, and there was no reason in my opinion to continue to collect more than we need. We can reduce the police revenues without reducing service, laying off employees or otherwise negatively affecting the safety of our community.

I applaud the police department for their fiscal stewardship while providing excellent service. Many of our officers and staff live in the township and understand the burden that high property taxes place on our residents and businesses.

The tax holiday is not large, just $660,000 out of a $22 million overall township budget. But it is a first step, and I will continue to work to reduce your taxes and limit any increases to those absolutely necessary.