MONUMENT • As election day nears, opposition to the 2F ballot initiative has emerged.

In the upcoming Nov. 2 election in the Town of Monument, measure 2F asks voters to approve a .5% sales tax increase, excluding food and services, to create an projected annual revenue increase of $1.6 million annually to benefit the Monument Police Department.

Those who oppose the measure have stated in public forums, mostly among social networking platforms, that it may actually reduce police department funding. Greg Coopman, a former town Trustee, said he has supported increased funding to the police department and feels a small sales tax increase could be a great revenue stream for it.

However, as it’s written, 2F is a “sheep in wolf’s clothing,” he said. “The ballot language as written actually creates a scenario where the police department budget can actually be negatively impacted, and a scenario where the town could allocate present PD funding percentage and allocations to other departments.”

Coopman said he fought vague language for similar ballot initiatives when he had served on the Board of Trustees.

“Without language which protects the police department funding levels and sources already in place, 2F is a dangerous roll of the dice,” Coopman said. “As proposed it will hurt our police department in the long term. This needs to be done right and without giving other departments police department dollars to play with.”

However, those in favor of the ballot have also spoken up publicly.

Town Manager Mike Foreman said in a statement the town’s general fund provides approximately $2.4 million of funding earmarked for the police department. If the proposed sales tax increase of .5% were to pass, there would be a projected $1.6 million of additional funding, bringing the police department budget to $4 million.

“It is the town administrator’s intent to use the full amount of funds generate from the proposed tax increase as well as the previously earmarked funds to create a special fund dedicated solely to the Monument police department,” Foreman said. “This will be used to hire new police officers, provide training and replace capital and safety equipment such as vehicles, body cameras, radios, tasers and bullet-proof vests.”

In a video post on the Vote Yes to Keep Monument Safe Facebook page, Police Chief Sean Hemingway, appearing off duty, said in an interview with campaign registered agent Terri Hayes, “I’ve been asked by many people, we want to support you but we are not sure if you’ll get all the money or if it gets to other districts. We are ensured that because we have people like Terri (Hayes) at our budget meetings, this money will go where it is intended.”

The taxation can be recalled if voters determine it is not being allocated as intended. To this, supporters of the initiative are animated about keeping an eye on the funds’ proper allocation.

“I go to every budget hearing with the Board of Trustees,” Hayes said at a recent meetand-greet regarding 2F and Home Rule measure 2G. “I can tell you if those funds move to any place else beside the police department, I am going to scream bloody murder.”

To ensure 2F funds are allocated as intended, Trustee

Mitch Lakind said he is planning, assuming the initiative passes, to introduce an ordinance for approval to further protect the police department allocated funds. Lakind’s plan is to introduce an ordinance to set the police department to 35% of the general fund.

“In order to allow the town to be flexible should sale tax receipts go down, there would be an exception clause of a percent reduction of the 35%,” Lakind said. “I am going to suggest 5%, so no lower than 30% of the general fund would be allocated to the police department.”

He added, “It has not yet been determined how much the sales tax receipts would have to go down in order to trigger this exemption. Unfortunately, despite the insistence of some people, this will get done before the election. I am going to work with town staff, our attorney and my fellow trustees. I will be bringing this up at the next town meeting on Nov. 3.”

Foreman said if the measure is approved, the new $4 million budget will allow the police department to continue to operate with funding for employees and officers, capital equipment and replacement costs, and training to best meet the needs of the community in the future.

“Due to the expected fiveyear replacement schedule on this equipment and ongoing employee costs, a sunset provision was not explored as the police department will continue to need to operate an organization that will provide a high quality if life in Monument for a safe and attractive community,” he said.

Hemingway said when he came into the department, he was tasked to assess and overhaul its resources. He recalled that on the first day he showed up to the station for a ride-along, there was just one officer on duty. He questioned where the officer’s backup was, to which the answer was backup would arrive on duty at noon that day.

“That’s not how you police,” Hemingway said. “It’s unsafe to you and unsafe for the community. … With a lot of the defunding issues we are seeing throughout the country, we’re seeing crime rates quadruple in some areas. We don’t want to see that in Monument.”

Presently, Triview Metropolitan District gets 50% of the sales tax on the east side of Monument. Hemingway said the ballot language would trump the existing Intergovernmental Agreement between Monument and Triview. Hemingway said he met with the Triview board, and it supports what the increase it intended to fund.

“They do want to see more than one cop on the road at one time,” the chief said. “My comment to Triview is that the money is intended for police services, and we will get all of it. … If at any point I don’t think I can provide the service that is expected, I will be the most vocal about it.”

Hayes said, being a citizen of Monument, the town’s residents have already recently proven they have a say in what goes on in the town, and nothing is different in regards to 2F.

“If 2F doesn’t go the way we wanted it to, we have the power to change it,” she said.