Cheney to vote on police, fire levy

Cheney residents will decide if they want to pay more for public safety operations, including the implementation of a body camera program for police officers.

City Administrator Mark Schuller said there are several needs police and fire operations have, and the public safety levy would allow the city to address some of them.

Schuller said the levy would be a significant source of funding for police body cameras, which would increase transparency in police operations. The Cheney Police Department is one of the last agencies in the region without body-worn cameras, he said.

Schuller said the levy also would help pay for the replacement of aging police patrol vehicles and potentially fund the hiring of additional full-time police officers and fire personnel.

The proposition would restore the maximum regular levy for collection in 2022 to $3.10 per $1,000 of assessed value, or $930 on a $300,000 assessed home value. Residents would pay $2.58 per $1,000 of assessed value, or $774 on a $300,000 assessed home value, if the proposition fails to pass, according to information Schuller provided.

Each of the remaining five years of the six-year levy would be restricted to no more than a 1% increase of the total previous year’s levy.

The election is Nov. 2.