UNION TOWNSHIP — The township's board of trustees will place a levy on the November ballot to pay for police and fire protection in this township, which grew by nearly 27 percent in the past decade.

        The 4-mill safety services levy will generate about $3.3 million a year, said Ken Geis, township administrator. It will be a continuing levy.

        The levy is in addition to continuing police and fire levies that generate about $4 million a year for police and $3.6 million a year for fire protection.

        Mr. Geis said the new levy is necessary to cover the increased cost of personnel and equipment and the growing population in this Clermont County community of more than 42,000.

        “It's going up, the number of calls for service, the number of people who have moved in here,” said Mr. Geis.

        Township Police Chief Tom Knox said he was pleased with the decision to place a combined safety services levy on the November ballot.

        The last time residents approved a police levy was in 1991. The last fire levy was approved in 1995.

        “It's something we absolutely need,” said Chief Knox.

        “Our calls for service have grown about 73 percent over the last 10 years. This township is just growing rapidly and in order for us to keep pace with that growth we're going to have to employ more people. That's what it boils down to, employing more officers.”

        The police department, which dispatches for both police and fire in the township, employs 44 officers and 15 civilians. Chief Knox would like to hire an additional 16 officers and three civilians over the next five years.

        The fire department has 44 firefighters.

        If approved, the combined safety-services levy will cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $122 a year.

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