News

Wyoming Voters Permanently Approve City's Public Safety Millage

Posted on Wednesday, August 08, 2018 | Press & Media, News & Announcements

Wyoming residents overwhelmingly showed their support for the City’s Public Safety Department by approving a permanent renewal of the dedicated public safety millage of 1.25 mills by a vote of 7,306 to 2,223.

Results show that 11,432 people voted in Tuesday’s primary election, a turnout of 22.9 percent of registered voters in Wyoming.

City leadership expressed gratitude for the community’s overwhelming support and look forward to enhancing the excellent public safety programs and initiatives developed since the initial millage was first approved in 2010.  

The cost for a homeowner with a $100,000 home will remain at $62.50 per year.

“We are pleased with this evening’s results and want to thank everyone who came out to vote today,” says Wyoming Mayor Jack Poll. “Over the years, we have worked hard to be good stewards of the funding this millage provides, and it is clear our residents recognize we’ve made good on our promises.”

Public Safety Chief Kim Koster concurs with Mayor Poll’s sentiments, remarking the Public Safety Department’s efforts to work more closely with residents are bringing about excellent results for the community as a whole.

“Safety is at the core of the City’s mission, and the public safety millage allows us to maintain funding for critical services and programs,” Koster said. “We are fortunate to have the confidence of our residents and businesses, who continue to support our officers and firefighters. We look forward to working with the entire community to ensure Wyoming remains safe and welcoming.”

Following are some of the Public Safety Department’s accomplishments since the dedicated millage was first approved in 2010:

  • Achieved and maintained Gold-Standard police accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., putting the department in the top one percent of law enforcement agencies nationwide
  • Provided a professional public safety response to more than 37,000 calls for service every year
  • Implemented efforts to visit every school in Wyoming each school day, totaling 5,738 school visits last year
  • Conducted daily and nightly visits to businesses, making 8,606 contacts and 6,852 closed business checks in 2017
  • Equipped every police cruiser with an automated external defibrillator, or AED,  as well as supplying every officer with Naloxone, which reverses the effects of overdoses
  • Increased forensic laboratory capabilities providing faster, more comprehensive results which have contributed to a higher success rate in solving crime
  • Reduced response times with the 24/7 operation of the Gezon Fire Station and the addition of two quick-response vehicles, or QRVs
  • Added three full-time fire fighters
  • Utilized part-time employees to implement a peak load staffing model which employs more staff during times of high call volume
  • Crossed-trained and licensed 22 City employees as fire fighters and utilized paid-on-call staff
  • Secured grants that allowed staff to become licensed as EMTs and purchase CPR assisted compression devices

 


Posted in: Press & Media, News & Announcements