By Mary Owen
Budgetary cutbacks have led the city of Lyons to place a $30,000 levy to maintain law enforcement services on the November ballot.
“Previous surveys have shown that citizens value law enforcement coverage and the security that adequate coverage brings,” said Mary Mitchell, city manager for Lyons. “It is vital in any city to have a presence of law enforcement to help control those who choose not to follow the law. With deputies living in both Lyons and Mill City, eastern Linn County residents have good, local, crime-fighting resources.”
Mitchell said crime has increased in the area, making this the opportune time to increase existing law-enforcement coverage.
“We have developed a strong working relationship with the Linn County Sheriff’s Office,” Mitchell said. “They are working diligently to keep us informed of illegal activities taking place in and around the city, and in turn, we are communicating to them any information we receive locally to assist them in investigating criminal activity.”
Mayor Dan Burroughs, also the city’s police and ordinance enforcement commissioner, commended deputies for taking care of problems for local residents, no matter how trivial they may seem.
“While having a deputy available to take a report on a barking dog may not seem important to some, it’s better to have a deputy go out on a barking dog issue than to go out later when tensions have escalated and they are dealing with assault charges,” Burroughs said.
With the state of the economy, the city opted to place a minimal levy, but one which would triple the current law enforcement coverage, Mitchell said.
“Cost to individual households would be approximately $.41 per thousand of home value,” Mitchell said. “For example, if your home is worth $100,000, the annual increase to your property taxes would be approximately $41.” That equals about $3.42 a month per $100,000 in assessed value to pay for additional law enforcement.
According to Mitchell, the earliest contract between Linn County and Lyons was in 1977 for a deputy to devote 35 percent of his/her time for law enforcement in the city at a contracted cost of $9,607. By 1988, the cost had bounced to $17,200, and two years later, with 15 percent additional time, to $25,685. By 1999, cost had reached $49,138 with 75 percent time allotted. In December of that year, the city council voted to terminate the contract with Linn County because of a discrepancy between property taxes received and cost of coverage.
Voters passed a four-year levy in 2002 for $50,000 annually to begin with the 2002-2003 tax year. A second levy was passed in 2006 for $60,000 for four years beginning with the 2007-2008 tax year.
“The contracted amount with Linn County for that year was $64,620,” Mitchell said. “For the 2010-2011 tax year, that amount jumped to $68,620, and a levy submitted to voters for $75,000 failed.”
The city renewed a minimal contract with Linn County Law Enforcement beginning in July 2012 through June 2013 at an annual rate of $10,000 for 11 hours of enhanced coverage, Mitchell said.
“The current contract is $10,500 for 11 hours of enhanced coverage,” Mitchell said. “The proposed levy will triple the current coverage to 33 hours per month.
“The intricate details have not yet been determined. It will depend to a certain degree on what is proposed by the Sheriff’s Department. My understanding is that it will be close to the $30,000 figure, if not exactly.”
For information, contact Mitchell at 503-859-2167 or e-mail cityoflyons@wavecable.com.
