Public Safety

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Summary of Issues Facing Scio Residents Concerning Police and Fire Protection

This issue summarized by David Read, September 2008.

Scio Township has its own fire department and contracts with Washtenaw County Sheriff for policing services. While both departments are providing excellent service, both are stretched to the limit because of an increasing number of calls for service combined with the inability of the Township to maintain the required manpower levels.

Fire Service

A full-time Fire Chief, three full-time fire fighters, and a part time Assistant Fire Marshal regularly staff the STFD. Depending on availability, sixteen on call fire fighters (i.e.: those who are only paid for the time spent responding to calls.) participate in training and delivery of emergency services as needed. One fire fighter is in house and prepared to respond at all times. It should be noted however that, while the Chief is on call 24/7 and, during regular working hours is the second assigned firefighter, 30% of the time there is only one firefighter on duty. This limited staffing is below national standards. The STFD responds to most emergencies in the Township including medical calls, motor vehicle accidents and structure fires. Over the last 4 years, structure fires have accounted for only 14% of the calls. The vast majority (66%) of calls are for medical assistance and/or motor vehicle accidents. The Huron Valley Ambulance service also responds to these emergencies but the STFD arrives on scene an average of three minutes sooner. The longest response time within the Township averages between 11 and 12 minutes. For the Township as a whole, the average response time is about 7 minutes. (These times are from when the fire station receives the call from Central Dispatch, to the time the fire truck arrives at the scene.) However, despite meeting our current needs reasonably well, the STFD is functioning at the limits of safety for firefighters. National standards suggest that at least 4 firefighters be on the scene before entering a burning structure. State and federal mandates require an increasing number of training hours to qualify to provide this service. Due to our limited staffing level, the potential exists for a single firefighter to respond to an emergency. At these times and depending on the nature of the call, an unnecessary risk is placed on the safety of our citizens and our firefighters. Additional staff would relieve a portion of this risk and help avoid liability to the Township.

Police Service

The Township gets police services through a contract with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department. Currently, Scio Township contracts for only 5 deputies – down from 7 in 2007. The reduction in coverage was necessary due to the defeat of the public safety millage and the increase in costs from the County Sheriff. This increase was a result of the restructuring of the method by which the Sheriff’s Department charges for its services and the elimination of State revenue sharing for County governments. Today, we are in the third year of a four-year contract. Patrol officers cover residential neighborhoods, the business district along Jackson Avenue, and the 32 square miles of the Township. Scio also receives core police services from the Washtenaw County Sheriff (including the detective bureau, the major crimes investigation unit, the drug enforcement unit, K-9 team, SWAT/hostage negotiation team, auto theft team, crimes against children, and other services), along with a share of the minimal countywide sheriff’s patrol. The Michigan State Police also respond to emergencies and handle accidents on the freeways within the Township.
In 2006 (the last year for which we have statistics), deputies responded to 6,987 calls for assistance, or about 998 calls per deputy. In 2006, the Township paid the County $94,218 per deputy for these services. Under the current contract, this cost increased to $99,871 in 2007, $136,503 (plus overtime) in 2008 and $141,963 (plus overtime) for 2009 which includes supervision, patrol cars, equipment, liability, etc. The number of calls per deputy is the highest number in the full time policing areas of Washtenaw County and this workload is expected to increase now that we have reduced the number of deputies.

Funding

Unlike other Michigan townships, Scio Township pays for fire and police services through the General Fund, which is supported by three main sources of revenue – property taxes, state shared revenue and tax administration fees. The chart below shows the various sources and their respective amounts:

In addition, there is a Public Safety Fund that currently has approximately $1.2M. This Fund could be used to pay for additional manpower but there is no mechanism in place to replenish it. This situation jeopardizes the Township’s ability to pay for continued fire and police services – even at today’s inadequate levels – because all three main General Fund revenue sources are predicted to decrease while it is certain that the cost of public safety service will escalate.

Many Michigan townships fund their fire and police services through the use of a dedicated millage. Money raised by these special taxes (e.g.: Proposal J) can only be used for the purpose intended, unlike the money in the General Fund, which can be used for any purpose determined by the Board. Until recently, Scio Township’s General Fund was adequate and could cover all of Scio expenditures. However, with the recent escalation of the cost of the County Sheriff’s road patrol, coupled with the nearly doubling of our Township’s population and the increasing cost of benefits and even fuel, the General Fund cannot be stretched to cover completely the Township’s public safety needs. A Fire millage (i.e. “proprietary fund”) would raise money that would be used to pay for the Scio Township Fire Department.

Sources

As stated previously, Scio Township’s principle source of revenue is property taxes. The chart below details the components of the property taxes for the 2007-2008 fiscal year (the last year for which we have complete information):

While there is a difference in the millage rates for the Ann Arbor School District and that of Dexter, the difference is only 0.2407 mils so for simplicity, we are only showing the rates for Dexter, the higher of the two districts. For complete details, see Taxes.

Recommended Increase

The Township’s Public Safety Study Committee has recommended increases to the levels of fire and police service (i.e.: adding 3 fireman and 3 deputies) that will add a little more than $1 million to the budget. As a result, the Township’s Board of Trustees has put a proposal on November’s ballot for a Special Assessment District (SAD) that will levy a millage of 0.9 mils. If passed, this will have the effect of adding $90 per $100,000 of taxable value to your township taxes. The average homestead in Scio Township would pay an additional $135 per year to provide for 2 fireman on duty at all times (up from today’s 1) and the services of 8 deputies (up from today’s 5). This is the breakdown of your property taxes should the Scio Township Fire Proposition pass:

If the proposed SAD passes in November, it will generate most of what is needed to fund the current as well as the additional fire services. Funds currently allocated to the Fire Department will be reallocated to pay for the additional deputies as suggested by the Public Safety Committee.

For a more detailed summary, also see the Township Newsletter on this issue.

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