Farmington Residents Angered Over Public Safety Dispatch Vote

residents did not get a chance to comment before a Monday city council vote to contract with the for dispatch services, but still had plenty to say.

Officials approved a Farmington Public Safety command proposal that moves dispatch but keeps inmate housing. an agreement with Farmington Hills for both, to save an estimated $100,000 annually. He said the revised agreement will achieve similar savings. 

A motion at the start of the meeting to take public comment before the vote failed. First-term council members Greg Cowley, Bill Galvin and Kristin Kuiken opposed and Mayor Tom Buck and council member JoAnne McShane favored the move. As officials were poised to approve the agreement, residents in a tense exchange asked to have the motion tabled and the agenda changed. Buck denied the request after consulting city attorney Tom Schultz.

Officials approved the agreement on a 3-2 vote, split the same way as the earlier motion. Disappointed residents criticized the decision; some questioned other city expenditures, others said they would be willing to pay more in taxes to retain local dispatch.

"We have a tax opposition paranoia," George Wright said, adding he's willing to pay more for dispatch and other services, like tree trimming. "If we're going to have a good community here, we can't just look at the downtown. We have to keep our neighborhoods up." 

Peter Haapaniemi complained that residents had too little time to look at the first proposal, much less the second. He said people are more in favor of paying taxes when they go toward local improvements. 

While everyone who spoke felt officials made a big mistake, Kuiken said she had also heard from residents who favored the agreement, but were reluctant to come forward.

"It's not easy to stand up for what you believe in when people aren't cheering," she said. 

An engineering background led Kuiken to do extensive research on the proposal, she said, including conversations with public safety director Bob Schulz and Hills police chief Chuck Nebus, tours of both cities' dispatch centers and a ride along with Farmington officers. She said while residents have alleged that moving dispatch will affect Farmington's stellar response times, no one has presented evidence to back up the claim.

After the meeting, Pastue said he hasn't been able to find any studies on the issue, likely because "the call itself is instantaneous" no matter where it originates. 

Galvin said both city administrators and public safety department heads believe that "they can work this out operationally to maintain the level of service our citizens have enjoyed for many years. We have to trust the experts."

Cowley said he believes the proposal will improve officer safety and reiterated his concerns about the city's financial position. "I believe we made a good decision tonight, because the iceberg is approaching," he said. "We have to make very large decisions to remain autonomous." 

McShane and Buck sided with disappointed residents about the agreement and the need for public comment before the vote. 

"We do have other options, and we certainly need to explore them. Everything should be on the table," McShane said. "I would prefer that an analysis of the budget would be done before we make choices." 

"I'm pretty disappointed and frustrated with the way things played out tonight," Buck said. "The council and the administration did a very poor job of bringing the public along ... I am also disappointed in the utter lack of willingness on the part of council to hear you tonight."

Buck said he was concerned that Farmington had moved a little closer to becoming like the state and federal government in not listening to residents.