Bob's Update - August 29, 2006

I’ve used this Update many times to try to keep you up to speed on the continuing issues surrounding public safety in the County. Our Board of Commissioners’ various attempts to find ways to expand and modernize the  chronically overcrowded Jail; the changes to the methodology in the way we provide police services to local municipalities - and who will pay for those services; and the status of suits against the County, the Commissioners and me by three of our local townships.

And you’ve probably heard about another suit. Last week Sheriff Minzey filed suit against the County to stop any layoffs due to the fact that the three townships – Augusta, Salem and Ypsilanti – continue to refuse to sign contracts for services. Of the three, Ypsilanti Township has by far the highest number of committed deputies at 44. For almost nine months these services have continued without a contract.

More than a year ago we began talks with all the contracting parties on this change to the way we charge for services. We met with contracting township officials, including those from Ypsilanti Township, in the Police Services Steering Committee for months, with a wide gap before us at the start. They were hard negotiations with every side giving up something. I went into those negotiations with the new methodology and hopes of saving the County $5 million dollars to meet our capital needs. I came away from those meetings with a much more transitional contract, a methodology that will really not be implemented until 2008 - and saving the County just $2.5M.

We have tried to negotiate with the three suing parties, who are now appealing the decision of the Courts against them. We have offered options to sign, including a month-to-month contract, and they have refused to sign. There have been a number of contract extensions, and special offers to these three townships. At present, they are paying what the other contractees are paying, but without a contract. In essence they are reaping the benefits of all the concessions through negotiation but, unlike 13 other local units - they won’t sign. Even though the negotiations were based on a signed four-year contract.

And what of all the other townships who signed the four-year agreement? What about Ann Arbor, Bridgewater, Dexter, Lodi, Scio, Superior, Webster, York, the Village of Dexter and Dexter Community Schools, Lincoln, Willow Run and Ypsilanti Community Schools? They negotiated and won a number of concessions and signed the contract. The remaining three negotiated, won concessions and went to court. They lost in court and are going back to court and still we have no signed contracts.

After nearly nine months of waiting for these townships to come to the table, the Board authorized me to begin withdrawing services.  This is about contracts and about fairness. Without a contract there are questions of liability, of future payments and adherence. To me, it is about contracting for services and where there is no contract, we cannot justify the services.

The idea that I want to see people lose their jobs, or that I am creating some sort of vendetta because the political process worked in the primary and we lost three of our present commissioners – is just absolutely false.

Tomorrow, Monroe County’s Judge Costello is hearing the plaintiff townships' request to enjoin the County from moving ahead with reducing services to the three non-contracting townships. I’ll let you know what happens there.

I would like nothing better than to have written today about solutions to these problems, about steps towards agreement and reaching common goals for public safety and justice.
Maybe next time.

Have a good week.

Bob