Washtenaw County board hasn't decided whether to allow Ypsilanti Township to alter police contract

County commissioners briefly discussed a measure to reopen the police services contract at their committee meeting Wednesday, but put off making any decisions.

Ypsilanti Township may reduce its number of deputies from 38 to 31.

Sheriff's car

“We need a firm policy on this because many other communities, if we go down this road, may choose to come before us with the same intention, and it could have a cascading effect on public safety in Washtenaw County,” said Commissioner Ken Schwartz, D-Scio Township.

Township officials requested the contract change last month after a 2-mill tax increase failed by 169 votes at the polls.

Radzik said township officials hoped to have a decision Wednesday night and already have worked on staffing plans with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department. The township, which contracts for the most number of deputies countywide, already passed its annual budget and reduced the allotment for police service by roughly $1.5 million.

Township officials also have enacted several other cost-cutting measures, including cuts in salary and benefits, and some employees now work a 32-hour week.

“We don’t want to do this and we hope it’s a temporary situation, but we’ve nickeled and dimed this budget down,” Radzik said. “We don’t have the money.”

But Commissioner Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, questioned that. He said he doesn't think the township currently has enough police protection, but could afford to keep the current level if officials reprioritized spending.

Irwin's biggest gripe on reopening the contract was that the county would have to absorb what the township wouldn’t pay, despite a signed agreement.

Irwin said when factoring supervisory costs in the contract, the county stands to lose as much as $370,000 in each of the next two years if the township is allowed to back out.

Augusta Township amended its contract last year and will drop deputy patrols in 2010, but it didn’t cost the county any money because the contract only covered one deputy.

“We entered into contracts several years ago that basically spread all the overhead cost across 81 positions, and now we’re being asked to change the reality,” Irwin said. “That’s going to leave us significantly behind in a very tight budget.”

Commissioner Leah Gunn, D-Ann Arbor, said she had similar concerns but would be willing to reopen the contract in the wake of the millage failure. She also said she wants to address the command structure aspect of the contracts in the near future.

Sheriff Jerry Clayton told commissioners that even without the proposed reduction, the department is below the command/officer ratio recommended for police departments nationally.

Also Wednesday, commissioners passed a separate resolution reopening the contact with Scio Township to increase the number of deputies from five to eight.

The positions will be filled by deputies who were contracted for Augusta Township and the Willow Run school district.

Scio Supervisor Spaulding Clark said the decision to increase wasn't in response to community demands or data showing an increase in crime, but anecdotally officials believe property crimes are on the rise due to the poor economy.

“I believe the previous board deemed it was necessary to reduce when I thought they didn’t have to,” said Clark, who was elected back to the board in 2008. “The real issue is being able to provide a 24-hour police presence in our community.”

Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.