If voters don't agree to raise London's tax rate from 1 percent to 1.5 percent, he stands to lose at least two officers and potentially his entire dispatching operation.

"We're not asking for anything new or fancy, no bells and whistles," Wiseman said. "I just want to keep the department together so that we can keep the services that we have."

City officials have said that the $1.5 million generated each year by the tax increase will help fund the police and fire departments and pay for capital improvements.

Voters rejected a similar increase in May, but the city is taking a different approach this time. If this measure is approved, London will offer a credit of up to 0.5 percent for commuters who pay income taxes to any other municipality.

City leaders hope that credit is the formula for success.

"With the economy what it is, no one wants to pay more taxes," Mayor David Eades said. "We hope the credit will make this easier for people to digest."

There is no organized opposition to the request.

The police department has taken the brunt of the city's mounting financial crisis as revenue has failed to keep up with expenses. Already this year, the department has cut more than $150,000 from a $1.65 million operating budget. When Wiseman was promoted to chief, his position was left unfilled, and the secretary's hours have been cut in half.

If the tax increase fails, at least two officer positions will be cut, Eades said. And the city has asked Madison County Sheriff Jim Sabin what it would cost to have his office handle dispatching for the city, a task currently performed by five police dispatchers.

Losing any more officers would hurt the department's ability to conduct investigations because officers will be so busy responding to incidents and taking reports, Wiseman said. But losing the department's dispatch center would be devastating, he said.

The dispatchers do much more than route police and fire personnel to emergencies. They are the public face of the department; they greet people at the office, handle permits, answer questions and file paperwork for officers.

"The dispatchers are our key support system," Wiseman said. "They are the ones who help the public on a day-to-day basis. When someone wants to know what time the parade starts or when trick or treat is, it's the dispatchers who help them."

The city's campaign has been largely Internet-based, with regular e-mail blasts and a Web site established at www.londonlevy.org. Volunteers will hit the neighborhoods this weekend.

"All we can do is give the residents the information and hope they support us," Wiseman said.

hzachariah@dispatch.com