Bob's Update - July 5, 2005

I was up in northern Michigan last week for our family get-together and, as I’m sure you’ve experienced, it already seems quite a while ago. This week has gotten off to a quick start and promises a lot of important County business – not the least of which is a new resolution on my Public Safety & Justice recommendation.

The resolution, which goes before the Board of Commissioners’ Ways & Means committee this Wednesday night, adopts my revised recommendations on this subject and authorizes Administration to implement them. Passing these resolutions Wednesday will allow us to set in motion the 45-day period necessary to issue the bonds to pay for the capital costs associated with the recommendations.

	Bob's Update" is a weekly message to Washtenaw County employees from County Administrator Bob Guenzel.  eWashtenaw publishes these columns when they are deemed timely and useful to the wider community.  For more information on issues surrounding Public Service & Justice in Washtenaw County, please see the Community Conversation web site.  Contact Administrator Guenzel with your comments.

In June, the Sheriff and his staff presented a plan to alleviate jail overcrowding. As the Sheriff explained, his intention was to offer a “bare bones” solution in light of constituent feedback since the failure of the millage proposal in February. Unfortunately a Feasibility Study - carried out with the Sheriff’s staff, with Meneghini & Associates, Process Results, Inc. and Jim Robertson of Voorhis/Robertson Justice Services out of Boulder, Colorado showed that the solution would actually cost more than expected, and create some ancillary problems unanticipated by the Sheriff.

In light of those findings, I continue to support the recommendation I made to the Board at the April Working Session - the recommendation approved by the Criminal Justice Collaborative Council.  As you may recall, that includes expanding the jail by 96 beds; investing in infrastructure; expanding key support functions as needed; constructing a new 14-A District Court at the soon-to-be-vacated Huron Valley Ambulance offices; implementing the Assertive Community Treatment Team for diverted mentally ill inmates; and construct and operate a Probation Residential Center at the refurbished Community Corrections building - also at the Service Center location.

The Resolutions going before the Board Wednesday night also create a Public Safety & Justice Oversight Committee that will be charged with overseeing the implementation of the capital projects involved and, upon recommendations, hiring the architect or architects to design them.

I anticipate that the capital costs, as well as the additional programming and operation costs involved in this solution will come from the new police service method we’ve been discussing since April. The Board of Commissioners will continue to deliberate on the measures that must be taken to pay for these improvements. But I think we understand - perhaps even better now after the Sheriff’s counter-proposal and months of citizen feedback - what must take place to stand by our commitment to both public safety and to justice in this community.

Have a good week.

Bob