Farmington Officials Consider Dispatch, Inmate Housing Agreement Tonight

After a public meeting with angry residents, officials are expected to vote tonight on a proposal to contract with the for dispatch and inmate housing services.

Officials from both cities they were taking a serious look at sharing dispatch services, a move Farmington city manager Vince Pastue estimates could save $100,000 annually after an anticipated $125,000 in first-year costs related to eliminating five Farmington dispatch positions. 

Pastue also estimated that processing prisoners in Farmington Hills will cost Farmington officers about 300 additional hours per year. Residents have expressed concerns over community safety, how the move will affect response times, how it will affect the character of the city and the possibility that this is a first step toward merging both law enforcement agencies. 

and council member , both council veterans, have publicly said citizen comments will strongly influence their votes. , who supports the move, has said the dispatch issue is just the beginning of some very difficult financial discussions. He said officials "can't raise taxes enough" to deal with the budget issues coming over the next five years.

of the city's next five years, with skyrocketing retiree health care costs driving an overall budget deficit of $2.13 million by 2017-2018. At the April 2 meeting, he said he brought the proposal forward as a way to cut costs with a minimal impact on services to residents. Residents have questioned some of his assumptions, including a continued 3 percent loss in property values for the next five years. 

The 2012-2013 budget will be discussed during a 6 p.m. study session; the interlocal agreement is among the final items on the 7 p.m. regular meeting agenda. 

Read all of Farmington-Farmington Hills Patch's coverage and letters about this issue.