Fort Dodge now has a chance to get more police officers. It is a chance the voters must seize.

Obviously, adding eight officers to the 40-member force will not be free. A franchise fee added to the gas and electric bills of MidAmerican Energy customers would generate the $1.8 million annually to make it possible.

We urge the voters to approve that fee.

We realize that no one wants to pay more in monthly bills. But in this instance, the benefits of doing so will far outweigh the comparatively low cost of the franchise fee.

The fee would cost the typical residential customer about $6.85 a month. And when the franchise fee is added to the utility bills, the 1 percent local option sales tax will be removed.

That $6.85 is about the cost of a party-size bag of chips or a specialty drink at a coffee shop. And how many of those do we all buy every month without giving it a second thought?

Few people have any hesitation about buying those items. We don’t think they should have any hesitation about spending a similar amount once a month to get a safer city.

We need those eight more officers the franchise fee would pay for.

Fort Dodge has a crime problem. Getting more cops on the beat will go a long way to address that problem. With more cops on the beat it will be harder for the bad guys to do something illegal, and if they manage to do something they’ll get caught faster. In fact, with more officers available, the police will be taking proactive steps to thwart crime instead of just going from one call for service to another.

Citizens and elected officials have wanted to add more officers for years. This franchise fee proposal will finally make it happen.

Getting the added level of safety created by having more police officers for roughly $7 a month is a good deal.

We strongly urge the citizens to vote yes on the franchise fees.