Hebron officials press for November police levy, warn of cuts if it fails

At the Oct. 16 Village of Hebron combined council committees meeting, Mayor Valerie Mockus and other officials urged residents to support a police levy that will appear on the November ballot, saying the measure would dedicate new revenue to the Police Department and free general-fund dollars for infrastructure needs.

Mockus said about 90% of the Police Department’s funding currently comes from the village’s general fund and that moving to a dedicated levy would give the department more flexibility to address public safety priorities. "These are real decisions that residents are asking elected officials to make," Mockus said, adding that the levy is not designed to be collected until 2026 so households would have time to prepare.

In her presentation, Mockus provided household-cost context tied to the village’s recently approved energy aggregation program. "The average household in Ohio uses about 14,700 kilowatt hours per year and based on that usage, the aggregation program is saving each household almost $700 a year; so if that's true, we are now asking you for almost $400 and you will still be in the black $300 a year if the levy passes," she said.

Licking County Auditor Michael Smith said the Auditor's Office ran numbers that mirror the presentation and directed residents to the county OnTrac tax calculator (under Taxes) to estimate their individual levy costs. "The tool calculates the worst-case scenario, and the actual amount may be lower than the results that are displayed," Smith said.

State Representative Kevin Miller spoke in support of the levy and highlighted state initiatives he said are aimed at helping local departments, including training and grant opportunities. "Over $40 million dollars a year has been dedicated for CPT training, marx radio fees have been cut in half, there are now grants for body cameras and grants for getting officers back on the streets after PTSD," Miller said.

Police Chief Larry Brooks told the council that Hebron’s officers provide neighborhood knowledge and rapid local response, and he argued that keeping veteran officers is important because they recognize local patterns that can indicate problems. "We need to keep veteran officers around," Brooks said, adding that local officers’ familiarity with shifts and patterns helps deter crime, particularly given Hebron’s proximity to Interstate 70 and U.S. 40.

Several residents voiced support. Mike McFarland said he has seen the department’s performance across different roles in the community and will vote for the levy. Resident Lisa Messenger asked for clarity on how the levy would affect the general fund and whether the village has specific projects that could be funded if the levy frees general-fund dollars; Mockus said approximately 27% of the general fund currently supports the Police Department and suggested freed funds could be used for flooding mitigation, sidewalks, paving and guardrails.

Mayor Mockus asked the administration and council to encourage residents to review the presentation and livestream; she said staff plan to post a narrated version of the PowerPoint and that the meeting is being live streamed on YouTube.

No formal council action on the levy was taken at the meeting. The session concluded with a motion to adjourn by Councilmember Annelle Porter, seconded by Council President Randy Wolf; the roll-call vote was unanimous among councilmembers present and the meeting adjourned at 6:48 p.m.