Jefferson Township is getting something suburban communities usually only daydream about: its own Franklin County Sheriff’s Office deputy on duty around the clock, paid for by a freshly approved local levy. Township leaders say the dedicated patrol is designed to cut response times and put a clearly visible cruiser on neighborhood streets across the community’s roughly 15 square miles, a move they frame as a modest price to keep pace with rapid growth.
According to NBC4, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office will assign a full-time patrol unit exclusively to Jefferson Township under a contract funded by the levy, with the 24/7 coverage expected to start Jan. 1, 2027. Officials told the station the goal is to improve emergency response times and move away from the old setup that relied on a single roaming cruiser covering a wider area. Township Trustee Rich Courter told NBC4, “I think that all of us feel more comfortable when we know there’s a (patrol) car moving around.”
Township size and growth
Per the 2024 State of the Township report, Jefferson Township covers about 15.34 square miles and has more than 15,000 residents. The report tracks decades of fast-paced growth and points to ongoing development that township officials say has put more pressure on public-safety services. Those shifting demographics became a talking point at recent public meetings, where backers argued that added patrol coverage was simply catching up to reality on the ground.
What voters approved
On May 5, voters signed off on Issue 25, a 1.9-mill continuing property-tax levy that officials say will bankroll the county contract for 24/7 patrol. The measure passed with roughly 52 percent of the vote, according to NBC4. The station reported that for a homeowner with a property appraised at $100,000, the levy works out to about $67 a year. Supporters argued that the amount was a relatively small hit to secure a permanent deputy focused solely on their community.
How the county will deliver coverage
The sheriff’s office operates a patrol division and public-affairs unit that handles community policing and contractual patrols, according to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office. Under the planned arrangement, one deputy would be assigned only to Jefferson Township calls instead of bouncing between multiple jurisdictions. Officials say details such as shift scheduling, reporting expectations, and performance metrics will be hammered out as the contract language is finalized.
What’s next
Township trustees and county leaders still need to put ink on the formal contract and lock in operational plans ahead of the January 2027 launch. Residents who backed the levy say they plan to keep an eye on response times and overall service as the dedicated patrol settles in, and trustees have signaled they will revisit the agreement in future budget cycles if needed. The move fits into a broader trend of fast-growing suburbs leaning on targeted levies to beef up public safety, opting for contracted sheriff coverage instead of building a standalone municipal police force from scratch.
