DEAR EDITOR:
Having been appointed as a Howland Township Trustee, I feel compelled to write and to urge Howland voters to support our three replacement police and fire levies, two of which will reduce the existing millage while bringing in modest revenue increases (because they will replace old property values for current values). The third levy remains at the same millage.
In this presidential election year, I think it is good to keep aware that these levies are not promoted by political parties like the polarizing partisan battles being waged in the federal and state arenas.
These township service levies are being submitted to our voters due to a need to keep our township safety services working at the laudatory levels at which Howland Township residents have become accustomed.
Township government is closer to the people than any other form of government. Washington, D.C., is the distant seat of federal issues. Columbus is 170 miles away. Your Howland Township government, however, is right here at Howland Corners.
Now I understand the anti-government ideologues who vote against government simply because it's the government asking. This may be enticing when such vote is for a remote federal or state matter and the impact may not be perceptible. But here, the state has cut several sources of township funding including the local government fund, estate tax revenues and personal property tax revenues. The consequences will be felt.
Howland Township government is right here: we are the police officer that drives his cruiser through your streets creating a real sense of security and crime deterrence. The siren that cries during the night is a fire department ambulance helping a fellow Howland resident.
Please help maintain Howland's ability to deliver the kinds of services that have helped to make Howland the first-rate community where quality of life for our residents is the first priority. Please vote yes on the three Howland Township police and fire levies. Thank you.
James T. Saker
Howland