By Mary Owen
A Safety Fee to give Aumsville 24 /7 police coverage has become the catalyst for a July 3 recall vote on three Aumsville city councilors.
Voters will decide whether or not to recall councilors Trina Lee, Kevin Crawford and Lorie Walters. The three were elected into office in January 2017, and in December voted to enact the $12 per month Safety Fee to give the city 24-hour, seven days a week, police coverage.
All three councilors are campaigning for a “no” vote on the
recall effort.
The chief petitioner behind the recall, Derek Clevenger, reportedly said he sees two primary flaws with the council decision: not sending the fee to a vote of the people and language in the ordinance that could allow a lien to be placed on property if the owner does not pay the fee.
“We had hoped with adding the sixth officer in 2017 that 24-hour coverage had been accomplished,” said Councilor Walters. “What we found is that, with sick leave, vacation and mandatory training, there were still occasional gaps in coverage. We also found, because of the increasing costs of benefits and PERS, that we had not adequately budgeted with the future in mind and we would either lose our sixth officer by this new budget year or would have to come up with additional sources of income.”
Walters said she and other councilors had a tough decision to make, which resulted in speaking to local businesses and neighbors, and holding two open meetings as well as publishing articles in the city newsletter delivered to every home. City councilors reviewed feedback from local businesses and residents before implementing the fee, after which the recall petition was put into play, she said.
Councilor Lee said she uses Aumsville’s motto, “A Great Place to Live,” as a guide to her decision-making.
“As the liaison from the city council for the Aumsville Police Department, I brought forward that we didn’t have 24/7 police protection,” she said. “Regardless what has been claimed, we were intentional and sought public input longer than required. As not every citizen was in favor of the fee, the majority were. When information was brought forth, the council stood fast on the decision to support the fee.”
Councilor Crawford said he was saddened by a small number of citizens who are trying to overthrow the will of the voters from “a fair election less than two years ago.” Crawford called the recall attempt “a political maneuver.”
If the councilors are recalled, city officials said the police service fee will remain in effect. The seats of the three other Aumsville city councilors – Gabe Clayton, Brian Czarnik and Della Seney – and Mayor Robert Baugh will be on the Nov. 6 general
elections ballot.
