KILLIAN - Months after aldermen for the town of Killian moved to dissolve the police department, opting to rely on the Livingston Parish Sheriffrsquo;s Office for public safety, residents in the town were adamant that the police department needs to return.Five months since the parish took over, res idents in Killian say they want to feel safe again, and that hinges on having an operating police department patrolling neighborhood streets.Tuesday evening, Killian residents filled a crowded town hall meeting room, with just a couple of feet separating them from the four aldermen and mayor, and within minutes, the townrsquo;s leaders voted to put a one-cent sales tax on the June 27 ballot.The proposed one-cent sales tax would fund the police department, including the police chiefrsquo;s salary, as well as various town clean-up and infrastructure projects.Last summer, the town disbanded its police department, according to Killian Mayor Atwell, saving the town money for the time being."Where the police department was when I came in, in July, there was no way that we could continue operating that police department without the town finding itself in a really fiscally bad position," Atwell said.When the police department dissolved, the retirement system for police, the Municipal Police Employees Retirement System or MPERS, claimed the town owed more than $370,000 for violating state law by never enrolling or paying into the retirement system.According to town records, Killian's annual budget is about $300,000. The town eventually settled with the retirement system, paying $50,000 to it over time.Tuesday night, the town took its first steps to bring the police department back, voting to put a one-cent sales tax on the June ballot. Atwell says relying on the few brick-and-mortar businesses in Killian, plus online sales, the tax could generate about $40,000 annually.Although for residents, passing the tax could present as an impossible obstacle. Bill Whittington lives in Killian and explained that while he understands the tax is essential to pay for the police department, he's not sure his neighbors would support paying one cent more for every dollar spent on goods and services in town, whether at local businesses or online."I'm just hoping that people realize that we need, we're going to need something for the town, and that one percent is not that much," Whittington said.The tax, Atwell hopes, could also benefit the town's long-term growing business and the community."This gives Killian the tax structure to be a legitimate town one day," Atwell said.Permalink| Comments ...read more read less