LIBERTY — Law enforcement in the township will be able to continue maintaining its strong presence in the community, thanks to residents.

The measure passed by a margin of 66% to 34%, according to complete and unofficial results from the Trumbull County Board of Elections.

The levy would collect an estimated $823,492 per year, according to numbers from Trumbull County Auditor Martha Yoder. Broken down and at the tax rate of 2.5 mills for each $1 of taxable value, the township will bring in $88 for each $100,000 of Yoder’s appraised value.

The levy will be assessed in 2026 and collected the following year.

Police Chief Ray Buhala thanked the residents for their support in a news release Tuesday night, noting the department’s mission in delivering a sense of safety and security.

“Your vote ensures we can continue to do exactly that. By supporting this levy, you have chosen a proactive model of policing,” Buhala wrote. “We do not take your investment for granted. In line with our core values of accountability and integrity, we promise that these funds will be used exclusively for the personnel, equipment, and training necessary to protect our rapidly expanding community.”

Trustee Arnie Clebone said he was “elated” by the residents’ support for the police department.

“We’re grateful for the voters, that they supported us and how many came out — if I’m right, we had more of a turnout than we expected,” Clebone said. “We’re just grateful that the voters went along with us, and I think a large part of this (is) because we got a great police force, we got a great chief — the whole police force are great people, and they’re doing a great job.”

“This, obviously, will allow them to continue to do a great job,” Clebone said.

The funds will support police staffing, response times to both residential neighborhoods and the Belmont Avenue business corridor, and equipment costs such as body cameras and updated car cameras, as well as patrol vehicles.

The levy marked the first time in 22 years that the department needed additional funds, outgrowing their 2004 levy in 2015, according to Buhala in February.

He said then that the administration in 2016 and 2017 decided to go with the traffic cameras, which Buhala called the “band-aid on the bullet wound” from then until 2025, when legislation was passed to prevent townships from operating such programs.

Buhala said the department generated $900,000 annually from traffic violators, adding that the only revenue a township’s police department can get at this point is through levies.