AUSTINTOWN — A year removed from its defeat, the police levy is back on the ballot next week, with a couple of notable changes.

Austintown trustees and police will ask voters to approve a 2.22-mill additional levy that will generate $2 million per year to support police operations in the township.

The 2024 levy would have cost the owner of a $100,000 home $85 per year, while this year’s, if approved, would cost the same homeowner $77. The levy also would generate about $600,000 a year less than last year’s proposal.

Unlike the 2024 measure — a 2.4-mill continuous levy that failed by a margin of 52% to 48% — this year’s ask is for a five-year renewable levy. Trustees say that will give them a chance to show voters Austintown is being responsible with the funds.

Trustees said they and police Chief Valorie Delmont have cut everything they can from the police budget without compromising service, but costs continue to rise.

“We’re at the point where there’s nothing left to cut,” said Board of Trustees Chair Bruce Shepas. “Staffing is at a 30-year low. We’ve lost eight officers and three dispatchers this year alone to retirement and elsewhere for job security and better pay. And it looks like there will be a 30% to 40% health care increase to plague an already depleted police budget.”

Earlier this year, trustees approved a motion to cut the department’s police dog program, saving $10,000 in 2025 and $20,000 next year. Local donations will keep it running through December. Over two years, Austintown Police Department dropped from 43 sworn officers to 31, with two leaving for retirement and a different job this month.

Since the last levy failed, the township has made significant cuts to the department. In addition to the $200,000 they cut before November under retired Chief Robert Gavalier, Delmont has cut about $100,000 more.

Township Administrator Mark D’Apolito said personnel costs comprise about 72% of the police department budget.

A letter from the department’s police union, in support of the levy, notes that the department’s financial picture has made it difficult to hire qualified candidates.

Delmont said in June that such a drop in staffing causes unpredictable scheduling and subsequent morale, retention and burnout issues among officers. She said officers’ days off have been split and their schedules changed to cover all shifts. The department has reduced overtime, cut expenditures and limited time off.

She said younger officers are now running shifts, and the department is still dealing with the same call volume it handled in 2023.

Delmont said Austintown also has cut all training except that which is state-mandated.

Austintown has pulled its officers off of the Mahoning County Drug and Human Trafficking task forces to keep patrol shifts staffed, and put detectives back on patrol, limiting the time and attention they can give to active investigations.

While the township continues to apply for and receive grants, that funding is insufficient to maintain operations at an optimal level, they said.

That includes the Community Oriented Policing Services grant from the U.S. Department of Justice that provides $750,000 to support six officers’ salaries.

“Even with those measures, we’re not in a situation where we can maintain at this point,” Delmont said. “We’re just not able to wait any longer.”

D’Apolito said in April that an advance of between $850,000 to $1 million to the department from the township’s general fund will likely become a full transfer. In January, he stated the general fund could be left with as little as $875,000 by the end of this year.

But on Monday, D’Apolito said that forecast has improved somewhat because of the staffing reductions. He was not able to provide specific numbers.

He also noted that the township has improved the picture by revising its fee schedule for dispatching services.

“We were able to increase some of our revenues from the outside agencies we dispatch for, so the dispatch center is seeing some improvement from its fees,” he said. “And that is reducing its burden on the police department and the department’s burden on the general fund.”