Saline police dispatch is a core service that should be kept in the city
I would like to remind the citizens of Saline about the upcoming decision of City Council to decide if Saline is to get rid of its dispatch/front desk for police services. City Council wants to send these services to another jurisdiction that has zero loyalty to the City of Saline.
I wish to remind the citizens that City Council is not without their bosses. In these difficult times it is tough to swallow government talk of not having any money when that same government maintains pet projects and multiple redundant levels of management. It is tough to swallow leaving upper-level positions and benefits sacred while attacking low-level workers that provide the actual services the citizens pay for and deserve. It is tough to swallow the number of six-digit salaries for a town government this size.
I urge the citizens of Saline to remind City Council members who they work for and which core services need to be maintained at the highest level.
John N. Lockwood
Saline
Comments
towny
Mon, Jul 18, 2011 : 12:46 p.m.
Why was a ton of Saline City Taxpayers money used recently to build a new Saline police station if we are not going to use the total facility. Let's just close it down and move everything to Pittsfield. Its obvious who's loyalty's bodnar and debling are to.
towny
Mon, Jul 18, 2011 : 12:07 p.m.
Outsourcing is outsourcing no matter how you paint the picture. This is an insult to the tax payers of saline.
gild
Sun, Jul 17, 2011 : 8:25 p.m.
Why can't there just be a countywide dispatch system? We don't need 19th-century provincialism anymore.
Basic Bob
Sun, Jul 17, 2011 : 11:01 p.m.
100% agree! Pittsfield has less business setting up a regional dispatch system than the sheriff. Certainly they have the facilities and the expertise to cover a large area. It doesn't even require regional policing, which is another idea worth considering.
debling
Sun, Jul 17, 2011 : 5:14 p.m.
"... another jurisdiction that has zero loyalty to the City of Saline" - Not true. I think Saline has a good relationship with the Pittsfield Charter township. The high school is in fact in Pittsfield. "... the same government maintains pet projects and multiple redundant levels of management" - conjecture without statement of facts. "... which core services need to be maintained at the highest level" - dispatch is not one of them. In many communities policing is done on a regional level not small city scale. I see no reason or evidence that the quality of dispatch would be suffer with the proposed arrangement. It's not like Saline is a huge crime area. Let's give it a try and see how it works out.
towny
Mon, Jul 18, 2011 : 12:49 p.m.
Conjecture without statement of facts look who's talking.
SonnyDog09
Sun, Jul 17, 2011 : 1:59 p.m.
"The level of service will drop greatly its a given." Maybe you should get out more. Quality of service does not have to drop. Does service always improve? No, but to claim that it always drops is nonsense.
towny
Sun, Jul 17, 2011 : 9:42 a.m.
@ Jacob Bodnar Anytime you outsource work you lose control and lose the valuable experience and knowledge of a trained professional that has worked in your community. The level of service will drop greatly its a given. Have you not heard the saying " you get what you pay for". What's next outsourcing the other highly important positions of Saline. OK, lets bring in rent a cops to patrol our streets and save a few dollars. I say if the Saline City Council starts to outsource work lets outsource them and vote them all out and bring in rent a council. Or better yet rent a mayor. The options are endless. Where do you wish to start and stop. Hey, whats good for one is good for all.
towny
Mon, Jul 18, 2011 : 11:59 a.m.
@ bodnar well that's your opinion. Everyone has one right. I guess I'm not educated enough as you are.
debling
Sun, Jul 17, 2011 : 5:18 p.m.
"you get what you pay for". Sometimes. In many communities, city workers are often over paid, enjoy lucrative benefits, work minimum hours, frequently go on strike (if Unionized). Often makes sense to outsource these positions if you can get equivalent service for lower cost. I don't know the specifics of this particular position at Saline, but I would suggest a dispatcher should be around a $25K to $30K position, not more.
Jacob Bodnar
Sun, Jul 17, 2011 : 2:40 p.m.
Well, we're talking about outsourcing dispatch to a township that is less than a few minutes from downtown. The building the dispatch would be outsourced to is literally only two miles from the city limits. You act like the Pittsfield township police department view Saline as a foreign land in which they've never been. The city and the township have a good working relationship, they have to considering the high school is in Pittsfield township. If we were talking about outsourcing dispatch to a call center in another state, you'd have a point, but we're talking about outsourcing it a few miles down Michigan Ave to a township that is already well acquainted with the city and it's people, there's a lot of overlap between Pittsfield Township and Saline (I happen to be a part of that overlap; Saline address, went to Saline schools, live in Pittsfield township in an area patrolled by their officers.) You can't make the jump and assumption that we outsource dispatch and all of a sudden the rest of the city services are outsourced, that's simply ignorant. This is a cost saving measure that most people probably won't even realize was outsourced if it happens.
Jacob Bodnar
Sun, Jul 17, 2011 : 4:19 a.m.
I still haven't heard a good argument as to why this would hurt the city...
Basic Bob
Sun, Jul 17, 2011 : 3:45 p.m.
It certainly benefits Pittsfield getting money for dispatchers that likely are already on the payroll.
snoopdog
Sun, Jul 17, 2011 : 3:55 a.m.
"I wish to remind the citizens that City Council is not without their bosses." Mr. Lockwood, assume you mean the taxpayers ? If so, the cost savings to Saline taxpayers with no loss of service is very beneficial. I can only guess that you may be on the losing end of this winning proposition. " It is tough to swallow the number of six-digit salaries for a town government this size. " Please explain what positions these are ? Perhaps they are the folks you are dispatching to catch buzzed drivers and petty thieves robbing local stores ? Good Day
towny
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 9:58 p.m.
I agree with you 100%. Saline taxes are the highest around this area and Saline City Council is considering outsourcing these essential community services while spending on other more non essentials projects. I would hope that a uproar starts and can be heard loud and far all the way to city hall. This should not even be considered or an issue. What's going on with Saline City Council? Are things this tight with this highly taxed community? Come to your senses City Council Members.
TMazur
Sat, Jul 16, 2011 : 9:51 p.m.
Amen, Mr. Lockwood--well said. It should also be mentioned that the union representing these workers sent a proposal to City Council offering to take wage concessions so that the dispatch/front desk services can retained in the city. While the proposal passed, it's interesting to note that the Mayor was one of two dissenting votes. One can help but wonder why.