FORT DODGE, Iowa [KCCI] — Hundreds of Fort Dodge residents are signing a petition to hold a special election on a proposed franchise fee to hire eight new police officers in the city. After seeing more violent crimes in the last year, Fort Dodge Police Chief Dennis Quinn said the officer would make a big difference. “We’ve had a higher rate of homicides this last year than what we have in the past,” he said.

After a failed attempt to get the funding last year, City Manager David Fierke said the city has devised a new plan to get it done. “This year we looked at doing it with probably the only other source of consistent revenue, which is a franchise fee,” Fierke said.

The proposed five percent franchise fee on neighbors’ gas and electric bills would provide to money to make the hires. The fee has passed through two city council readings and would be instated starting in July if it passed a third and final one.