Police and public works should be considered for consolidation with the township, city officials say.
Clarkston City Council voted unanimously to look into combining services with Independence Township.
‘I’ve been a proponent of it from day one. I’m not certain what services make sense ? I think we ought to be having discussions as to what services do make sense,? said Mayor Stephen Arkwright. ‘My goal is to have some sort of a template we can apply in basically any scenario.?
The template would not include 10 percent surcharges by the township for fire and library, charged since 1992, said Arkwright at the Jan 25 meeting.
‘If we can clear any of that, I think there are a lot of consolidations of services that could occur and would clearly be in the best interest of all parties,? he said.
City Manager Dennis Ritter agreed.
‘It’s more than being essential,? he said. ‘I think it’s critical we do that for everybody involved.?
Independence Township Supervisor Dave Wagner said the 10 percent surcharge is for administrative and billing services provided by the township, which many communities do.
‘I’ve been working with Dennis on this whole proposal for about six months now. I told him to bring it before the board. I would be in favor of discussing it and seeing if there is a way we can eliminate it (the surcharge) during these bad times,? Wagner said. ‘We’re looking at a lot of possibilities. I’m hopeful something is really going to come out of this, which should be good for everybody. That’s our goal.?
Ritter said he expects to have a proposal written by Township Attorney Tom Ryan for submission to the township, on which council can vote on Feb. 8.
‘We’d be irresponsible not to look at every option we have. Obviously state fund sharing is going to drop this coming year,? said Councilman Charles Inabnit. ‘The bigger governments are trying to push for it anyways, and I think it’s just inevitable that it happens, for the city to stay viable.?
Inabnit said the city doesn’t have any place to expand its tax base, other than raising taxes, which people wouldn’t be happy about.
Councilman James Brueck agreed.
‘Necessity becomes the mother of invention,? he said. “(With consolidating) you end up giving people a choice. We can stay within our budget and provide this level of service or, if you’re really adamant about maintaining, it’s going to cost ‘x’ dollars more. There is nobody on the council I know who wants to ask for a millage rate increase.?