AUSTINTOWN — Township voters rejected a new 2.4-mill levy to support the Austintown Police Department.

The levy was defeated Tuesday by a margin of 52% to 48%, according to incomplete and unofficial results from the Mahoning County Board of Elections.

“We respect and value the voice of the Austintown community,” township Trustee Bruce Shepas said. “In light of the recent outcome, I, along with the other two trustees, will meet with our administrator (Mark D’Apolito) and police chief to discuss the best path forward.

“We remain committed to serving and protecting our community,” Shepas said.

The levy defeat followed the passage last year of a 3-mill continuous levy that raised $2 million for the fire department.

Had it passed, the levy would have cost the owner of a $100,000 home $85 per year.

The fire levy succeeded by a vote of 56% to 44% despite residents’ concerns about recent property revaluations.

Austintown already has four police levies on the books: the original 0.8-mill levy from 1983, a 3.2-mill levy from 2006, a 2-mill levy from 2012, and a 3.2-mill levy from 2018. Collectively, those generate $5.6 million annually, D’Apolito said.

However, increasing costs have pushed the police department beyond its budget, and is now $1 million into the red. Officials said the department received a booster from ARP funds during the COVID-19 pandemic, but with those funds depleted, the department is back to operating at a deficit.

“We anticipate them to be into the general fund for roughly $1 million by the end of the year,” D’Apolito said. “It was $1.2 million, but with some cuts and adjustments, we were able to save about $200,000.”

Shepas said earlier this week that those cuts included non-essential training and a moratorium on buying new police vehicles.