Standing Room Crowd sees Heated Debate on School Police Tax

It will be at least another month before voters in Stow know if they'll see a 0.25 percent income tax increase on the November ballot to pay to put cops in schools.

Stow City Council talked at length, and with some heated exchanges, Thursday about the recommendation from Stow Mayor Sara Drew's Safety Task Force to put the tax increase on the ballot in order to put Stow Police Department school resource officers in each of the Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools nine buildings.

An at times standing room only crowd — comprised of police officers, school children and parents — listened as council's committee of the whole debated the issue and whether or not council should vote to put it before the voters for the ultimate decision on the tax proposal, which would raise Stow's income tax collection from 2 percent to 2.25 percent.

Many spoke, often emotionally, about the issue, but the most divisive exchanges came between Drew and Councilman Mike Rasor.

Rasor criticized the proposal for lacking a specific budget or detailed plan laying out how the revenue from the tax increase — a projected $1.6 million to $1.7 million annually — would be spent. He also expressed concern about the possibility of revenue not going directly to the police department and instead being used to bolster the general fund if, as a result of the tax gaining voter approval, the city administration then lowered the general fund budget amount dedicated to the police department.

"I want to see the specifics," Rasor said. "I want to see the budget so people get what they think they’re getting."

Drew said the proposed ballot language specifically states any revenue collected by the tax increase could only be spent on law enforcement, and it further dictates the new officers hired would be used to create a specific school security division within the police department.

The mayor said she was discouraged by Rasor's concerns and said, ultimately, council members have final say on budgetary spending. She encouraged council to simply put the issue before the city's electorate and let them decide.

"I do feel very passionately about this," Drew said. "We all, all of us collectively, are responsible for the safety of the community. The community conversation will ultimately culminate in a vote on Nov. 5. Let the community weigh in directly, not indirectly through us but directly to us, about what the future of the city of Stow will look like."

The issue did make it out of committee and onto council's regular meeting agenda later Thursday evening, when it was given a first reading. The issue will come back to council in June for at least one more reading, if not a third in July, before council casts a final vote to determine if it will head to the ballot.

Typical deadlines for filing issues with local boards of elections to be on the November ballot is in August.

The legislation to put the proposed tax hike on the ballot included companion legislation that encouraged future members of council, in 2023, to put the issue back on the ballot for renewal. Though Stow Law Director Brian Reali said that measure proves virtually unenforcible. 

Councilman Brian Lowdermilk, who opposed the idea altogether in favor of further review of the city's budget for possible cuts to hire more officers, encouraged further conversation amongst the community about the idea.

"Ten years from now … we’re going to put it on the ballot to see whether or not we still need it?" Lowdermilk said. "Is there anybody who believes that we need it today, but we won’t need it then? These are the conversations we need to have."

He pointed to the approximately $300,000 in debt service the city pays annually on Fox Den Golf Course.

“We don’t have money for police officers, but we have money for a golf course?" Lowdermilk said. "There are places to generate this money. If this issue is that important, and I believe it is, we better have a plan ‘B’ if this fails. And we don’t have that today."