EASTLAKE, Ohio- Eastlake Police Chief Larry Reik predicted cuts in city services after the failure of a tax levy on Tuesday.
Voters rejected a .5 % additional income tax levy by a wide margin.
Chief Reik said approval of the levy was crucial to maintaining city services at what he called “an adequate level for citizens.”
Reik told FOX 8 News that his department will be able to handle emergency calls but he is worried about secondary calls and public service calls for things like citizens getting locked out of their homes. Response times will be affected, he said.
Chief Reik predicted that 15 city workers will lose their jobs because of the levy failure. He added it is not the first time the city has been forced to reduce staff.
“It is unfortunate because at one point we were almost 170 employees. 2011 is when we all took pretty big hits. Four to six people in this department alone, so we are already operating pretty lean for a city of this size,” he said.
Reik said several renewals did pass in Eastlake and that the failure of the tax increase might be related to lingering financial issues involving the city’s Classic Ballpark.
Specific budget cuts in Eastlake could be announced as soon as next week.
