Groveland Twp. – Local officials are clashing with Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s office about closing the Michigan State Police Groveland Post.
Under the governor’s newly proposed budget, the Groveland, Grand Haven, and Iron River posts are slated to close Oct. 1, saving an estimated $1.1 million, says Greg Bird, communications director for the office of the state budget.
‘With budget shortfalls of $770 million, tough decisions had to be made to cut programs throughout the state,? said Bird.
MSP opened the post in 1996, said Sgt. Dave Weigand of the Groveland post. Troopers from the police post patrol in Groveland, Holly, and Rose townships.
Some view using state-provided officers as a ‘free ride? for township residents who don’t pay extra for police patrol, says township supervisor Robert DePalma, who feels the current police system makes sense.
‘The State of Michigan owns a quarter of the township’I don’t think it’s unreasonable,? he said.
Holly Recreation Area, located on Grange Hall Road in Groveland Township, covers 7,817 acres of approximately 23,040 acres in the township.
The amount of state recreational land reduces tax revenue for the township. Holly Recreation Area also requires patrolling, says DePalma.
‘The area draws 2 million visitors, creating more (police) runs.?
MSP divides the state into districts. In District 2, where the Groveland post is located, the closest post is 42 miles away in Oak Park, said Weigand. The Flint post, located 17 miles north of Groveland Township in Genesee County, doesn’t normally respond to incidents in District 2.
‘I hate to think how long it’s going to take when there’s an accident on I-75,? said DePalma.
MSP considered four criterion in recommending which posts to close, including the number of complaints taken, number of incidents responded to, population growth, and other law enforcement services in the area, said Bird.
Troopers and other personnel will be relocated rather than terminated, says Bird, although reassignment information is not yet available.
Despite state budget projections, closing the Groveland post won’t save money, argues DePalma, who says the township doesn’t charge the MSP to rent its post building.
Groveland Township Fire Department Station No. 1 shares a township-owned building with the Groveland police post.
‘We’re confused,? says fire chief Steve McGee. ‘We can’t understand why the state police would want to leave a building they get for free.?
Groveland Township picked up the cost of remodeling the building to accomodate the post, and pays for utilities such as electricity and sewer, says McGee, adding the post came in $5,000 under its annual $21,000 budget last year. The figure does not include the cost of vehicles or employee compensation, McGee said.
Bird could not confirm the $21,000 operational budget figure.
‘For Groveland, we would save $344,000 in salaries, wages, insurance, and retirement,? he said.
The cost savings comes from eliminating Groveland post positions, using Groveland employees to staff vacant posts throughout the state, Bird said.
‘By eliminating positions and moving (employees), you save money. This is done frequently in the public sector to save money in very tight times,? said Bird. ‘During the last ‘early out? we lost approximately 8,000 state employees’the vast majority of those positions have not been filled.?
DePalma, who met Tuesday with officials from Holly and Rose townships, is planning to appeal to legislators and the governor’s office beginning with the Feb. 28 Oakland County Board of Commissioners meeting.
If the post closes, the area’s 6,250 residents will be forced to rely on the services of state police from the Oak Park post, pay to set up a local police department, or pay to contract with another police agency such as the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, said DePalma.
Residents of nearby Brandon Township pay 2.75 mills to contract with the sheriff’s department.
‘It’s important for residents to get involved by letting (legislators) know we don’t want our post closed,? DePalma said.