Farmington City Council Approves Dispatch-Only Contract with Farmington Hills

council members, in a split vote Monday, approved an interlocal agreement with the for dispatch services.

But the contentious meeting may signal a deeper divide between veterans Tom Buck and JoAnne McShane and newcomers Greg Cowley, Bill Galvin and Kristin Kuiken. Officials also split on McShane's motion, which failed, to move public comment higher on the agenda and accommodate more than 50 people who attended the meeting. 

Brought forward by public safety commanders, Monday's proposal keeps the public safety department jail, while contracting for dispatch services with Farmington Hills. The department would hire and train part-time cadets to help maintain the station and monitor prisoners. 

contracting dispatch and inmate housing services. The move was designed to save about $100,000 annually in a city budget he predicts will be awash in red ink within five years. 

Pastue said the revised agreement addresses about closing city hall after regular business hours and officers having to leave the city to process prisoners in Farmington Hills. 

The agreement "keeps our department functioning as we've known it" with the service levels residents are accustomed to receiving, he added. 

Pastue said even with the cost of hiring cadets, operational changes (primarily in custodial services) would achieve the same savings, which will be offset in the first year by the anticipated $125,000 cost of laying off five dispatchers. 

Mayor asks merger question

Council members weighed in on the proposal and asked questions related to what qualifications would be required of the cadets (that hasn't been determined). After Cowley spoke, calling the agreement "a pretty creative solution", Buck alleged that Cowley has the feeling the city should merge all of public safety with Farmington Hills.  

"I want Farmington to survive, that's the first goal," Cowley said. "The legacy costs that are before us are not within our realm to fund." He pointed out that officials had earlier approved as their top goal for the year "to balance the budget and position us for future growth", and the city may end up losing its autonomy if officials don't "right the ship". 

Buck then asked Kuiken whether she thought the cities should merge.

"Not necessarily," she said. "I think the cities each have their own character." Looking down the road, she added, "I don't think there's any item that should be off the table." Kuiken also pointed out that residents would have to petition for, and then vote in favor of, a merger.

After the meeting, Buck said he was not sure those answers were "totally truthful" and believes both favor a merger. He said he asked the question because "I think their belief that's a good direction for the city to go in factors into a decision like this" and that "value set" is something residents need to know. 

Though Buck did not ask Galvin the same question, the council member in his comments said he doesn't have a strong feeling one way or the other, "but we are already merged with Farmington Hills in many ways." He said the cities and the Farmington School District "all depend on each other. If one doesn't do well, the other two pay the price." 

What concerned Galvin more, however, is that residents have not seemed concerned about anticipated deficits in the city's budget in proposals presented at public meetings and available on the city's website. 

Pastue's budget forecasts show skyrocketing costs for retiree benefits that could lead to a more than $2 million budget deficit within five years. Galvin and Cowley both pointed out that Michigan's Proposal A limits the amount of money cities can collect in taxes, while operating costs continue to climb. 

"I get the sense people don't understand what's happening to small cities," Galvin said. While people are concerned that the dispatch contract is a permanent change, he said, "it's being caused by a permanent problem."

All five officials agreed that residents should stay involved with the budget process. Galvin announced the city's budget meeting on April 23, 7 p.m., and a joint meeting with Farmington Hills and Farmington Schools officials May 15, 6 p.m.

This is the first of two stories on Monday night's meeting.