A western Hamilton County community could lose routine and non-emergency policing services. Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey says Whitewater Township has not signed a contract with her department and will lose services if it doesn't.
Chief Deputy Chris Ketterman says most local communities know they have to provide law enforcement.
“We’ve been working with Whitewater for several years,” he told Hamilton County Commissioners Thursday morning. “October, I sent a letter that we have to have movement on this. We know the budget’s tight in the county, but everybody has to pay their fair share for law enforcement.”
Without a contract, as of Jan. 1, 2027, sheriff's deputies will respond to emergencies in Whitewater Township, but won't provide traffic enforcement or regular patrols.
Township Trustee Guy Schiable agrees the sheriff has worked with them in the past.
“But if they could really cut off all our service, like they’re not going to show up for anything — in the end, we still don’t have the money,” he says. “They’re wanting us to pay for dedicated cars for our area.”
Schiable says the township would love to have that, but can't afford it.
“We don’t have any parties we could cancel or 'Taste of Miamitown,' or something like that. We don’t have any wasteful spending. The only way to produce any more money is to pass a levy. That’s just what we’re going to have to try to do. We’ve tried it several times. It usually fails.”
A 2024 public safety levy would have raised $1.4 million for police, fire and EMS services. It failed by a more than 3-to-1 margin. Schaible says they may try again next spring.
Schiable says the current contract the sheriff has offered is for $1.2 million.
Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus says some townships have not paid their fair share in the past, but that has been corrected.
“Anderson Township and Lincoln Heights and others are paying for the services," she says.
She says Hamilton County is paying for the organization and administrative costs, and asking communities to just pay for “boots on the ground.”
Read more:
