Fairport Harbor Village’s mayor and a councilman have thanked voters for approving additional levies for the community’s police and fire departments in the Nov. 5 General Election. Those leaders expressed their gratitude during the Nov. 19 Village Council meeting. Separate levies intended to provide more funding for the village Police and Fire departments appeared on the Nov. 5 ballot. The police levy passed 816-650, while the fire levy emerged victorious by a margin of 931-541, according to official, final results from the Lake County Elections Board. Each levy will generate $357,000 per year and cost $184 annually per $100,000 in appraised property valuation, according to the Lake County Auditor’s Office. Because both levies passed, the total yearly cost will be $368 for every $100,000 in appraised property valuation. Mayor Timothy Manross and Village Councilman Frank Sarosy both expressed their gratitude to voters for approving the police and fire levies. “(Residents) are going to be happy with what they see in the future for the safety of our village,” said Sarosy, who serves as chairman of council’s safety committee. Manross also thanked council for its “deliberate and lengthy discussions” about the levies which took place before both issues were placed on the ballot. The mayor directly addressed Police Chief David Koran and Fire Chief Robert Lloyd when he noted that the margins of victory for each levy amounted to “a pretty convincing ‘yes’ ” by village voters. “I think that speaks volumes for the men and women who work for your departments, and for your management of those departments,” Manross said. “Bravo for what you do for us.” Prior to the election, Koran said that the village Police Department had reached a point where its finances “have fallen behind the times in terms of wages and rising equipment costs.” Some of the additional levy revenue will be used to increase pay for Fairport Harbor’s police officers. “Addressing the wage issue will help with officer retention and recruitment,” Koran said. Koran said he would address the issue of police wages first, and then look to add at least another full-time officer to keep overtime costs down. “Having at least two officers on a shift will address the safety concerns and make the department more responsive in a timely fashion,” he said. Revenue from the new levy also would be used to replace outdated police equipment, and “keep police vehicles running and in rotational replacement when they become nickel-and-diming and high-mileage,” Koran said. The village Fire Department will use revenue from its levy for purposes that include: • Hiring at least three additional career firefighters/paramedics. • Providing daily staffing of three personnel, with a minimum of one paramedic. • Improving its ability to retain current part-time and career staff. • Continuing to offer no-cost community risk reduction programs, such as CPR classes, car seat installation, Stop the Bleed classes and providing lock boxes and smoke alarms to residents who request these items.