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HOLLY, Michigan - Back in the fall of 2006, village voters approved a three year 2- mill special assessment to improve their police services. As of this July, Holly Village residents’ property taxes will be cut by 2-mills. The police services special assessment is no longer being collected from village residents.
The goals of the special assessment were technology improvements, safety and personal protection equipment for police officers, a vehicle fleet maintenance program to reduce operating costs, a few much-needed building renovations, and overhauling the local E911 Communications Center.
The special assessment cost the average homeowner approximately $175 a year which was added to their property tax bill. Over the three years, the special assessment collected a total of $822,703 from village taxpayers for the improvements.
Today, Village Manager Marsha Powers reports that all of the intended goals of the special assessment have been achieved. “The monies collected from the special assessment millage were put to work in the best interests of the taxpayers and village residents,” Powers said.
Technology enhancements
The police department has implemented a full technology package to improve efficiencies and work quality including in-car digital report writing software, in-car GPS mapping and tracking, digital mug shot and fingerprint systems, digital traffic crash and E-ticket systems as well as an internet based warrant and video arraignment capability.
Safety and protection enhancements
The police department has issued next generation personal body armor to every officer, deployed new non-lethal tools such as the Taser to provide officers with more intermediate force options, replaced the twenty-year old sidearms carried by officers with new duty weapons, and equipped and trained officers to deploy patrol rifles if and when appropriate to save lives.
Fleet Maintenance Program
The police department now operates with fewer vehicles than in the past, a 60 percent reduction in maintenance costs and a 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption (all new police cars have a V6 engine). Vehicles are a basic tool of the law enforcement trade, and the Holly vehicle fleet now meets or exceeds national standards in fitness for police duty.
Building safety and security
Police headquarters received much needed repairs to the roof, sidewalks,and paved areas, built a carport to protect the new fleet investment and installed a comprehensive security system that includes doors, intercoms and CCTV monitoring system.
E911 Dispatch and Call Center
The Holly Dispatch Center is now a premiere facility, having been completely rebuilt from the ground up. The center utilizes state-of-the-art technology to deliver fast, reliable 911 services. The Holly center was first in Michigan to activate ground-breaking 911 technology to deal with cellular and VOIP 911 issues. The facility is an example in the industry, and has been visited by numerous agencies intending on rebuilding their own centers. The new dispatch center capabilities have allowed Holly to improve services and expand the service area. Holly is now the E911 center for Groveland Township.
The taxpayers of Holly made an investment in police services that will pay dividends for many years to come. “I would like to extend my personal gratitude to the residents of the village for their trust and support," Chief of Police Rollie Gackstetter said. 'The dollars were invested wisely and the improvements will serve the community well into the future,” he added. "The dispatch center is now operated by highly trained and qualified personnel that provide the citizens we serve first class service."
Powers agreed."We are proud of our qualified patrol officers and dispatchers, and the service they are able to provide by having updated technology and equipment only possible through the levy of the special assessment,” she said.
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Comments
Locally, the Genesee/Flint area unemployment rate is >16%. The largest employer in the Holly community is the Holly Area School District. Most of the other employers in the community are sole proprietors or very small businesses.
Just my opinion, but I'd say that our labor market is insufficient locally, regionally, and statewide. As such, efforts to attract employers to the area would be one high-level approach to overcoming our economic challenges.
I understand your comments Jason- but you should be aware that the concept of online schooling has already started in Grand Rapids- don't be surprised to see it happen in many districts as schools are faced with huge deficits- as you know holly is facing a 3 million dollar deficit this year- and these types of things seem to expand exponentially year by year-
I would also say that some of the services that I receive as a village resident are extraordinary. I appreciate snow removal on the cul-de-sac I live on is always performed before 6:00 am when it snows overnight. I appreciate that our police officers are dedicated to the services they promise. When I see a police officer walk around a home in the pooring rain at 3:00 am when it is 40 degrees because the home owners are on vacation, to me that is extraordinary. The officer could have pulled in the driveway and used his spot light and never left his vehicle. When a snow plow vehicle is clearing my street and slows down so that he doesn't fill the end of my driveway because he knows I just cleared it, that is extraordinary. These are small things, but I consider them above and beyond because I know of other communities that don't get this level of service and attention. As a community, we have to determine how much we are willing to sacrifice in order to save.
It costs Michigan taxpayers some $90,000 to keep a state trooper on the payroll for a year. This is not the âââ €šÂ¬Ã†¦ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…“take-homeââ â €šÂ¬Ã‚ pay of officers, but the total compensation cost incurred by their employer, including benefits and the stateâà¢ÃƒÂ¢ €šÂ¬Ã¢Ã ¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢s share of mandated taxes and fees. By contrast, county sheriff deputies cost taxpayers less than $70,000 a year in most places âââ €šÂ¬Ã¢Ã ¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚ often much less.
as you are aware village residents pay for both village and township rates- which are rather princely sums indeed-
Do you have figures on how much it costs to maintain each building? You also have a twp supervisor and a village manager- one of those positions could be eliminated.
An estimate is given by the OCSD annually. How much does that cost? There are significant savings in outsourcing- Outsourcing is done in the village presently e.g. garbage pick up- I believe the village employs a blight manager and the twp employs a person in a similar position-
I am familiar with the various fire depts having lost my home to a fire 10 years ago. At that time, the dept arrived 20 minutes after they were called. BTW, my house caught fire from the house next door- the hydrant was dead- and though I live on a lake- the dept didn't bring the pumper- I hope things have improved at the fire dept and more inspections are made on the hydrants.
As written earlier in this string a full study comparing the costs of outsourcing our police serves to OCSO has been conducted and is regularly up dated. There is no significant savings in outsourcing. Your comments about the Village of Holly having the highest taxes in Oakland County are false; we are fifth behind Clawson, Birmingham, Clarkston and Farmington. And further the Village of Holly has reduced taxes 12.58% over this past year, more than any other community in Oakland County. I will admit that fifth place is not the position that I would prefer, but at least we are heading in the right direction. As to duplication of services, I donââà ƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ã‚¬Ã ¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¾Ã‚¢t understand what you mean. The Township handles all matters pertaining to the Township and Village handles all matters pertaining to the Village. The only service that the Township and the Village both offer their respective residents is fire services. The nationally accredited accounting firm Plante Moran conducted a study paid for by a grant from Oakland County last year and opined that combining local fire departments into one mega-department would be cost prohibitive. The four departments do participate in some cost saving joint ventures like bulk purchasing, and combined training.
Here is a solution that you probably won't like; but, in Grand Rapids many high school classes are being eliminated and high school students take their classes and tests online. Holly could save a small fortune if they adopted this strategy. Each student could be issued a computer-
and the really good teachers could teach 100's and possibly thousands of students-
Bob, it is easy to assume that there would be savings and such if the two were merged into one, but that doesn't account for what would be lost through state funding and potential grants. Maybe it would be better to consider 'new blood' for the decision making positions instead of dissolving one of the two municipalities. With this you lose nothing and gain everything. It takes informed voters to do this though. Regardless, I do agree that further change is needed.
Just looking for some reasoning behind your thoughts, thats all.
Just makes more sense fiscally and productively.
That being said, I don't think the council should simply provide Gackstetter with a budget and not provide oversite (via the village manager). The council may hire professionals but it is still their job to provide oversite and accountability, just as it is our job as village residents to provide oversite and accountability of the council.
Fenton is on the wrong side of US-23 for those working in most areas of metropolitan Detroit, so I don't think someone looking at homes in Holly necessarily considers living there. I'd never even heard of Fenton before looking at homes here in Holly.
When I bought my home here, I compared Holly to Macomb and Auburn Hills, because the availability and cost of new homes in those areas were very similar.
But one drive to Holly showed me that I could have the conveniences of the suburbs with the lifestyle of a small town. That's what makes Holly special, and I believe that is what will bring new residents here.
The Village of Holly is not competing with Flint as much as it is competing with Holly Township and Fenton for residents. When someone is shopping the area for a house and doing their homework theyââ ‚¬à¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢ll find that an equally priced house in the village will cost them a few hundred dollars more a month between the water/sewer bill and the 15 plus more mills theyââ ‚¬à¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢ll be paying than in the Township. So then theyââ ‚¬à¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢ll ask themselves if the extra services theyââ ‚¬à¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢ll get in the Village is worth it.
In the February 28th special addition inside the Tri County times called âââ €šÂ¬Ã†¦ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…“shop Localâà¢ÃƒÂ¢ €šÂ¬Ã‚ they estimate the population of the city of Fenton in 2009 at 10,582 and expect it to grow to 15,254 by 2035. Holly Township 2009 5,647 and expected to be 7,505 by 2035. The Village 2009 6,079 and grow to a whopping 6,103 by 2035. Wow we will grow by 24 people in the next 26 years. Thatââ â €šÂ¬Ã ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢s almost one new resident a year. I fully understand we donââà ƒÂ¢ €šÂ¬Ã ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢t have huge swaths of space to develop in the village but neither does Fenton.
Jason, the reason I think the OCSD could end up costing less is because of something Pete Clemens said. He said the council defers staffing requirements to the chief. So why wouldnâà¢Ã¢ €šÂ¬Ã ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢t we use the same approach with the OCSD? Ask them what is an appropriate level of patrolling officers for a community our size and submit a bid accordingly rather than setting parameters ourselves.
I don't recall any mill put in place specifically for the economic development of our community (please correct me if I am wrong). The idea is to invest these funds into self sustaining programs that wouldn't require extensions or renewals. Believe it or not there is money to be made out there and utilizing festival and advertising. Some clever marketing and community involvement can also assist. Good leaders not only think outside the box, but make decisions based on many considerations. They take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves and recognize that success doesn't come without expense (monitary or otherwise).
I will agree that affordability is one of the ways to make a community attractive (maybe not the best...), but you have to find a balance of many aspects, not just the cost of living. We could make Holly extremely affordable but it would mean making every service that we have less than desirable. Many home buyers consider services AS WELL as cost when deciding communities to live in. You can find ratings on everything from schools to police services to roads.
It is a fine balance of cost versus quality that creates the best value. As I said before, there may be room for more reductions in the budget, but that doesn't always mean that cutbacks and reductions are in the best interest of the future of the community. It is a much more involved discussion that is probably better served at a council or committee meeting.
As for contracting Oakland County, I was once in an auto accident on Milford Road. My car was disabled and facing the wrong way in the road. To make matters worse, it was in the curves located between Rose Center and Davisburg Roads so there was a very real concern for other drivers coming around a bend and hitting my car. It took more than 90 minutes before an Oakland County Sherriff arrived on site.
I know the OCSD covers a large area but this isn't a response time I would be satisfied with for my community. Maybe the response times wouldn't be 90 minutes, but you have to ask how much you are willing to sacrifice and how those sacrifices affect the overall value in our community.
Your reasoning on the expiring millage is the same reasoning the schools always use. They lobby for a âââ €šÂ¬Ã …“temporaryà ƒÂ¢Ã¢â €šÂ¬Ã ‚ millage for something saying itââà ¢ €šÂ¬Ã ¢â€žÂ¢s only for this many years. Then when itââà ¢ €šÂ¬Ã ¢â€žÂ¢s expiring they lobby for its renewal saying it isnââà ƒÂ¢ €šÂ¬Ã ¢â€žÂ¢t a tax increase just a renewal. As a result we never get out from under what was originally supposed to be temporary increase
Good leaders can think outside the box and get things done with less. Even the things you are suggesting. The best way to make this community attractive to others is to make it affordable to live here.
A question for Pete and all those running this fall. If revenues continue to decline as expected, what is your model for balancing future budgets?
A half mill would more than cover projects that are long overdue and/or currently are without funding like the economic survey. This is why I specified that the money would have to have a specific purpose, such as economic development, for me to support it. Yes it would be a 'new tax' but there would still be a decrease. Is it a realistic vision? Maybe not, but that would be for the community to decide...
Mr. Freeman, thank you for your input as well. In know our community is made up of all sorts of people with differing opinions. I am no lawyer, but as long as no decisions are being made (as defined in section 15.262 of the OMA) or being that it is social or chance gathering not designed to avoid the OMA (as defined in part 10 of section 15.263) there wouldn't be a violation from what I can determine. Regardless, I do see your point and understand your caution. Thank you for your input.
Iââà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ã‚¬Ã¢à ƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¾Ã‚¢ve always followed politics on a state and national level and locally from more of a distance. I know people that have never followed politics in their lives and for the first time Iââà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ã‚¬Ã¢à ƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¾Ã‚¢m hearing them engage on issues other than sports. I can tell you people are in no mood for higher taxes for any reason whether itââà ¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã¢ à ƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¾Ã‚¢s on the state, federal or local level. We are tapped out.
Also, Iââà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ã‚¬Ã¢à ƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¾Ã‚¢m not sure council could levy a mill if they wanted to. I believe and I could be wrong that council is limited to somewhere around the 15 mills we are at. I think any special assessment like the one expiring this year has to be passed by the voters. Iââà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ã‚¬Ã¢à ƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¾Ã‚¢m confident that any request for one would be soundly defeated in this environment regardless of the reason for it.
The reason I bring up the PD so often is because I believe the budget issues are going to get worse in the coming years. Not trying to be negative, itââà ¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã¢ à ƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¾Ã‚¢s just the reality. As a community we need to start thinking about these things.
I think what Robert has been trying to get an answer to is if too much money is being budgeted for police services. He is providing examples of other larger communities operating with less personnel. Wouldn't this beg the question, couldn't the personnel be reduced in an efficiently run PD to allow the Chief to work within a smaller budget?
I don't mean to imply that I personally think a budget reduction should be made for police services, but I think that is the question that hasn't been answered.
I undertook a study to investigate dissolving the Village Police Department and contracting with Oakland County seven years ago when I first came on council, and I have done periodic reviews of the numbers to keep the study currant. In an apple to apples comparison there are no real savings in contracting our police services to Oakland County. The Village Council hired a professional Police Chief when we hired Rollie Gackstetter a few years back and charged him with the task of policing this community in the most efficient manner possible. The whole purpose of hiring professionals is that they know their business better than most others. The Village Council therefore relies on the Chief to set staffing requirements that will conform to his allotted budget. To date Chief Gackstetter has yet to overrun his budget. Therefore in this manor we stand behind our Police Department and Chief Gackstetterâà ƒÆ’¢â€šÂ ¬ÃƒÆ’¢â€žÂà ‚¢s administration thereto. That we chose to let the Police Protection millage expire rather than seeking a renewal even in these troubled times shows that stand behind the taxpayers.
Even if it was a half mill over 2 years, that is approximately $60,000 each year. Think about the opportunities that this money would present to our community. There may be less bickering about who is paying for surveys, who is supporting festivals, who is contributing to fireworks, etc. The money could even be utilized to help sell police services to neighboring communities. Each of these activities, even a community center, provides additional opportunity to increase tax base, increase budget monies, increase dollars spent downtown and increase the overall value in our community. My biggest hangup would be that the money from the mill would have to have a very specific purpose and not be 'General Fund' money.
All of this opportunity and the tax payers are still seeing a 1.5 mill decrease on the upcoming taxes. Believe me I hear what you are saying and I realize the state of our current economy. I am trying to do what I can for the community that I chose to be a part of through volunteer work, donations or ideas. We are all in this together and I feel that every idea should be considered. As long as there are people willing to work the problem to find a solution we are moving in the right direction.
I don't feel chasing and rebutting accusations is timeworthy or productive though. My point was simply that you can't fairly compare the dispatch service and the police service that you mentioned. There is an expense associated with officers driving from the county building to the proposed SAD that doesn't exist with dispatchers who work remotely.
It wasn't just the "figures" that came from the press release, it was the entire story. And incidentally, negativity may sell some papers, but I don't charge anyone a penny to read this one.
How can you say itââà ¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã¢ „¢s rotten food when to my knowledge nobody has done a study on what it would cost to dissolve the village PD and contract with the county. Wouldnâà¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã ¢ „¢t we need to see those figures before dismissing it Ed? At the very least weââà ¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã ¢ „¢d be saving the chief and detectiveÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ ’¢â€šÂ¬à ƒÆ’ ¢ „¢s salaries. Without a study we simply donââà ƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ã‚¬à ƒÆ’ ¢ „¢t know. Of course there are many that simply donââà ƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ã‚¬à ƒÆ’ ¢ „¢t want to know either. Statements have been made by leaders stating they stand fully behind our PD when they should be saying they stand fully behind the taxpayers.
Larry, yes I read the other articles and yes I am aware that the budget year is different from a calendar year. My point is that property values are going to continue to decline for the foreseeable future and next year many more properties will see a decrease do to their SEV finally catching up downwardly with their taxable values.
Finally, many people on this forum talk about a mill or to as itââà ¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã¢ „¢s no big deal. If you are working itââà ¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã¢ „¢s probably not. I was employed in the automotive industry and took wage concessions for years even when things werenâà¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ã‚¬à ƒÆ’ ¢ „¢t so bad. Iââà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ã‚¬à ƒÆ’ ¢ „¢ve now been out of work for a year. Somehow I have managed to hang on and stay current on my mortgage. I have cut everything I can possible cut. Things that were a necessity when I was employed I found very quickly I can actually do without. Every dollar in my budget is accounted for. I know many villagers in my position. So itââà ¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã¢ „¢s aggravating when I hear politicians in charge of spending my money repeatedly saying things like âââ €šÂ¬à ƒÆ’ …“well this is what weââà ¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã ¢ „¢ve done for 15 yearsâà¢ÃƒÂ¢ €šÂ¬à ƒÆ’ ‚ when they should be thinking outside the box. Several times Iââà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ã‚¬à ƒÆ’ ¢ „¢ve asked why Holly PD has more officers than a neighboring town of twice our size and Iââà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ã‚¬à ƒÆ’ ¢ „¢m told itââà ¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã¢ „¢s because weââà ¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã ¢ „¢ve done it for 15 years and we stand behind our department. In my opinion that mentality is far out of touch.
Look at the effect the 2 mills have had on the quality of the police department. A 1-2 years, 1 mill assessment cuts our taxes in half and still provides the resources for progress, for example.
But the important thing is not to think of all the reasons "why not", but all of the reasons "why". The economy may still be difficult, but we have to come out of the bunkers at some point.
The supposed tax cut comes from the 2 mills for the special assessment expiring. That is a reduction of monies collected against property values that the residents will see. A tax cut if you will.
I still think it may be beneficial to consider a short term millage (less than 2 mills) to fund projects that will benefit the economic growth of the community. Everyone seems to express regret in having to reduce or remove these types of items from the budget and that we aren't able to afford to fund projects like surveys, fireworks, festivals or even a community recreation center. This is a very real opportunity to obtain money for these and still show a reduction to residents.
The article to which you question the accuracy was provided in a "press release" format to The Holly Express from the Holly Police Department. I have every confidence that they have "their facts straight."
Thank you for your comments. Actually the budget shortfall is the result of the declining taxable value of properties in the Village. Itââà ¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã¢ „¢s but one symptom of the larger nation wide recession that we are presently and collectively struggling with. I am sorry that you believe that I have misrepresented any facts; I strive for accuracy especially if I'm going to commit to print. However if you believe that I have misrepresented the facts please feel free to enumerate said misrepresentations. Iââà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ã‚¬Ã¢ „¢m having trouble understanding what you meant by âââ €šÂ¬Ã†¦ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…“KOPS raised money in EXCESS of your proposed budget. The money for Holly dispatch/police services was money above and beyond your already failing budgetâà¢Ã¢ €šÂ¬Ã‚ . Firstly âââ €šÂ¬Ã†¦ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…“KOPSà ¢ââ €šÂ¬Ã‚ didnââ â €šÂ¬Ã¢ „¢t raise a dime toward the Village budget, and frankly I have been extremely restrained in not mentioning some of the underhanded methods that the âââ €šÂ¬Ã†¦ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…“KOPSà ¢ââ €šÂ¬Ã‚ group employed to unduly influence voters to approve an unnecessary millage increase. Secondly the Police Protection millage raised $240,000 per year; the cost of dispatch services is $340,000 per year so technically the millage didnââ â €šÂ¬Ã¢ „¢t even cover the cost of the service. The bottom line is that the Police Department was able to achieve some much needed upgrades to assist them in their vital efforts to police this community, but the much needed systemic change of farming out our long term budget encumbrances was not realized.
I'm sorry if my comments suggested that contracting Dispatch Services with the OCSO was still a viable option. The door on that singular opportunity closed sometime ago. I suppose that I was just lamenting on what could have been rather than discussing what might be.
Thank you Pete (and other community leaders like Janet, Jesse, Rollie, etc). I wish more of our community leaders would/could participate and utilize these mediums to communicate and share their views. Not only does it show that you are making attempts to stay current on the thoughts and wishes of the residents, it lends to a more substantive discussion with fewer rumors.
The Village Council stands squarely behind the Village Police Department and Cheif Gackstetter's administration thereto. The Detective position has already been eliminated and the budget for FY 2010/2011 has already been balanced.
While I appreciate Graceâà¢ÃƒÂ¢ €šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ s attempt at revisionist history, letââà ƒÂ¢ €šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ s look at the true events that took place. I agree that the âââ €šÂ¬Ã†¦ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…“KOPSà ¢ââ €šÂ¬Ã‚ƚ group was formed to save dispatch jobs from going to the Oakland County Sherriffâà ¢â €šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ s Office. But at the time that we considered this move we had four dispatchers, two of whom were very close to retirement, one who had already accepted a job with the OCSO independent of Village actions, and one who was to be reassigned to other duties within the HPD. So no dispatcher would have âââ €šÂ¬Ã†¦ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…“lostà ¢ââ €šÂ¬Ã‚ƚ a job. The night that the ballot language was to be approved the Village Attorney had provided a proposed ballot language resolution to Council. The Council members received this resolution in the folder that is presented to them before every Council meeting. The three Council members who championed this millage increase (Kenner, Kuyk, and Campbell) were too busy glad-handing and politicking in a stacked audience of Police Officers, Dispatchers, and their families to be bothered to read the proposed ballot language that was presented to them. The ballot language stated that a three year two mill increase be levied for âââ €šÂ¬Ã†¦ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…“Police Protection Servicesâà ¢â €šÂ¬Ã‚ƚ and did not specifically and solely elucidate dispatch services. When Mrs. Kenner began to stumble while making the motion for the ballot language, I suggested that she use the prepared language that was placed in front of her that evening. After a cursory read of the prepared language Mrs. Kenner agreed to modify her motion to use the prepared language. The motion was supported and unanimously approved. In the days that followed, the three members took some time to review the language in detail and balked at what they had approved. There were no âââ €šÂ¬Ã†¦ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…“greyà ¢ââ €šÂ¬Ã‚ƚ areas, no âââ €šÂ¬Ã†¦ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…“slipping in agendasâÃà ‚¢Ã¢ €šÂ¬Ã‚ƚ , and no secret âââ €šÂ¬Ã†¦ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…“benefitsÃà †â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢ €šÂ¬Ã‚ƚ involved, there were simpley three Council members riding a wave of popularity that precluded them from doing their jobs at that moment. To her credit Mrs. Kenner admitted latter that she hadnââ â €šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ t read the document fully before approving it.
With apologies to Chief Gackstetter, I would like to take some time to examine the unintended consequences of not farming dispatch services out to the OCSO. The cost of keeping dispatch services in house is about $340,000 a year. The cost to allow the OCSO to handle dispatch services was $60,000 per year. That is a difference of $280,000. The VillageâÃà ‚¢Ã¢ €šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ s estimated revenue shortfall for FY 2010/2011 is $274,000. Iââࢠ€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ ll leave it to the readers to do the math, and will remind the readers that due to this revenue shortfall three valuable employees of this community will be heading to the unemployment line on July 1. Lastly Grace failed to mention that the "KOPS" group also promised the voters that if the millage was approved that the Village would sell its Police and Dispatch services to outside entities in order to raise revenue. But late last year when the Village Council was in negotiations to provide Policing to the âââ €šÂ¬Ã†¦ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…“PulteÃƆ™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢ €šÂ¬Ã‚ƚ subdivisions, several "KOPS" members stood in stark opposition to selling our services. There were even threats to recall Council members who voted to do so. The revenue that could have been added had the special assessment been approved was approximately $97,000. So the bottom line is that rather than looking at a $103,000 budget surplus in FY 2010/2011 (or a possible ÂÃâ €šÃ‚¾ mill tax cut), instead we will be struggling with a $274,000 budget shortfall.
Maybe it's a safety issue?! From what I understand, the State police at Groveland have it their contract that if there is only one officer working after dark they can't go out and patrol their community. I would prefer to have the officers we're paying for out on the streets visible for everyone to see.
When things are done on a small scale you have built in inefficiencies. One way to save money is to explore true economies of scale by perhaps dissolving the village PD and contracting with the County or State. The Holly PD building could be used as a sub station for the County. Do we need a full time detective position or if we had the county patrolling would we use theirs as needed? The same goes for the Chief position. As unthinkable as it may be today it may be something that has to be seriously explored in the future. Please don't view this as a knock on our PD because itââà ¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã¢ „¢s not. Just food for thought.
The details of the original proposal - not just from HPD but also OCSO are detailed in this article written last September. Hope it helps.
thehollyexpress.com/.../...
I don't doubt that Chief Gackstetter has provided superior service for less but I don't think Robert's point should be dismissed either. It is great that we are receiving a superior level of service for less than what we were paying years ago, but that doesn't answer the question of whether or not we need this level of service.
My wife and I were paying out of pocket for premium health insurance because we weren't happy with what our employers offered last year. Because of a tightening budget and with our daughter getting older and not needing immunizations as frequently, we decided to utilize our employers health insurance to save some money. Sure we would love to have the Cadillac of insurance, but why spend that money when an Aveo will do?
It comes down to the value we as a community put on the police services. Personally, I have seen some very positive actions from our PD. I can compare them with other communities and am proud of what I get for my money.
Thanks for joining the forum. Iââà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ã‚¬Ã¢à ƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¾Ã‚¢m not suggesting at all or have I ever that our police service is lacking. My argument has always been do we really need to be paying for such a high level of service especially given the times we are in.
Please correct me if Iââà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ã‚¬Ã¢à ƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¾Ã‚¢m wrong here. A while back I filled out a Freedom of Information Act form at the village and they told me that Holly Village had 13 full time officers plus 6 part time and 4 full time dispatchers plus 4 part time. The 13 includes the chief and detective. I called Fenton PD and was told they have 14 full time officers and 6 full time dispatchers for a total of 20. This 14 includes the chief and detective. They have no part time help. If this is incorrect please correct me.
Fenton is approximately 6 sq. miles and has a population of 10,582. Holly Village is approximately 2 1/2 sq. miles (less than half of Fenton) and has a population of 6,079 (just over half that of Fenton). Fenton has more drinking establishments and businesses as well. Regardless as to how we did things for the past 15 years do you think this is money well spent? How can Fenton cover twice the area and population with less?
Also, if the Village extended coverage to the part of Holly Township adjacent to our west side (the Pulte sub) do you think we could do it with the existing size of the force? Would we really need to hire more officers and buy more equipment? If we could do it without buying more equipment or hiring more officers wouldnâà¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã 墈 ƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¾Ã‚¢t any money they (the township) were willing to spend be money found?
Holly doesn't know how lucky it is to have you at the helm of its police department. You do a fantastic job on all levels. Thank you for your service.
All would agree police visibility, accountability, and community engagement is much more noticable today; the police department does not have more officers, in fact, we will operate this year with the same number of police officers the department has had for past fifteen years - 12.
The police vehicle fleet is smaller now than at anytime in the past decade, down from a high of ten to eight patrol cars. Effective management tools and an investment in equipment has reduced operating costs, increased safety and improved the image of the department.
The facts are, the department has improved service in every area, is more efficient and effective, while working with the same number of officers, fewer cars and a lower budget. This achievement is something the members of the department and the community can be proud of. All of these facts are readily confirmed by audits and public records.
The real changes for the better are a product of attitude, morale, quality equipment, training and leadership working to earn the trust and respect of the people we serve.
Once again thank you for the opportunity to make a difference.
The whole reason we had that 2 mills was because of councils inability to do their job and make the decisions they are paid to do. They vacillated to the point that they dodged the decision by putting it on the ballet where a small group of people were able to misrepresent the issue.
Now that we are finally getting relief from a tax we should have never had in the first place people suggest that we should be happy and want to continue some form of higher taxation?
In a post on another article some time back I showed how the Holly PD has more officers than the Fenton PD. This is despite the fact that Holly Village is roughly half the size in both square miles and population as Fenton. Also Fenton has more drinking establishments and many more businesses. I don't need to see several squad cars every time I travel Saginaw street to feel safe. To many police does not make us safer but it does cost us money.
However, please leave your hands out of my pocket! I'm always amazed how easily some people will dig into others pockets but when given the chance to do something on their own they don't. I am overtaxed due to the fact that I live in this village. The Village must learn to do more with less the same way myself and just about everyone else has been doing for years now.
Budget cuts are tough, but if a reduction in taxes can still be shown and some of these programs/ideas can be implemented to improve our community at the same time then I can get behind it. Use the 1 mill as a kick start to these programs that have a potential to be self-funded and money generating in the future or that would pay for themselves within a short time.
Reinvest the money, but reinvest it with a specific purpose.
Their is also the difference in that the Clarkston PD was a result of Clarkston's move to city hood whereas Holly already has a PD.
All in all there are groups of residents looking for different resolutions; dissolving the village and township governments into one entity, moving to a charter township, moving to a city, having a more cohesive village and township government. The best way to truly evaluate this is to see the differences between each in line item fashion. It may ended up changing some residents minds seeing a comparison. Ultimately it is what is in the best interest of the community and that really isn't known without research.
Pete Clemens. I have asked you before and haven't received an answer. As a village what is the maximum millage the council can levy? As a city what is the maximum millage a council could levy?
I don't mean to sound like I am all for city hood or that I am attacking you personally. I respect your participation to the discussion and all the points that you bring up. I just feel the entire community would be better served with a list of facts comparing the options.
On another note as I said before I think the village could have extended service to the neighborhood in the township that wanted it easily with the existing size of the force. Any money that neighborhood was willing to pay would have been money found.
I also asked and havenâà¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ã‚¬Ã ¢ à ƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¾Ã‚¢t received an answer to why charter townships like Redford, Waterford and Bloomfield to name a few havenâà¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ã‚¬Ã ¢ à ƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¾Ã‚¢t become cities if itââà ¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã¢ à ƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¾Ã‚¢s so much better. Why do I hear news stories about Highland Park that say they may have to revert to a township form of government to be more efficient? Iââà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ã‚¬Ã¢à ƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¾Ã‚¢m open to the issue but I need to see why this would be so much better for us.
As for whether I think crime is enough of a "problem" in the township to warrant local police protection, I frankly would prefer not to take my chances that nothing will happen to my family that requires a rapid response. We know that the MSP does not have the manpower to regularly provide rapid response. But even one crime constitutes a problem. Just because it didn't happen to me does not mean it is not a problem for the victim and for the community at large.
I pay for lots of things for my family that I may never need, such as car insurance and homeowners insurance. My children have health insurance, not because I believe they will have a catastrophic illness, but because I want them to have regular office visits which will help us catch a potential problem early on. And if catastrophy does occur, I have professionals at the ready to tend to it. The desire for regular proactive patrols and local police protection follows the same logic.
I know you pay dearly for it, but you are very fortunate to have the level of police protection provided by the village.
Is the basement open as a tornado shelter outside of normal library hours?
So Kim (and anyone else), would you support a millage to build said community center?
Personally, I like the idea, but I don't think we're where we need to be from a tax-base perspective quite yet.
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