Grosse Pointe Farms

Farms declines public safety consolidation offer from City, Park

By K. Michelle Moran
C & G Staff Writer

GROSSE POINTE FARMS — When it comes to joining in with the Park and City for a single public safety department, Farms officials are saying thanks, but no thanks for now.

At a Feb. 6 City Council meeting, the council informally agreed on a letter — to be signed by Farms Mayor James Farquhar — to Grosse Pointe City officials declining their invitation to become part of a consolidated department.

On Jan. 18, the mayor and council of Grosse Pointe City sent a letter to Farms officials inviting the Farms to take part in a study of consolidation for the public safety departments in the City and Park.

The City letter noted that the three communities share borders and have mutual interests, such as Grosse Pointe South High School.

“We believe that a jointly operated public safety authority has the potential to serve as the most efficient and effective platform to serve our communities’ needs,” the City letter reads, in part. “With the resources of two and potentially three communities harnessed together, we could be much better positioned to address public safety needs now and into the future. ... Given the financial challenges we all face now and into the future, we are looking at ways we can most efficiently provide the quality of services all of our citizens expect.”

Farquhar said Farms officials felt the better option was to look at consolidation of all of the Pointe public safety departments, not just a merger of three of them. A joint public safety department for the City, Farms and Park would require the creation of an authority to run it, and Farquhar felt it was too big of a step and one with too many legal questions to leap into at this point.

“I just think that I’m not ready to commit the city of Grosse Pointe Farms on (such a) rapid pace to full consolidation,” he said.

City Council member Joseph Leonard voiced support for the Farms’ position. He said the Grosse Pointe Ad Hoc Public Safety Committee — made up of officials from all five Pointes — has already created a step-by-step roadmap for combining certain services, such as recent dispatch consolidation between the Farms and Grosse Pointe Shores. Last month, in keeping with the latest committee recommendation, Leonard said, the Farms approved cross-training and mutual fire apparatus purchasing so that all of the departments have interchangeable equipment when fighting a fire. He said the letter from City officials “seemed contrary to the feelings of all five of the Grosse Pointes.”

“Grosse Pointe Farms is not opposed to exploring a study of the cost/savings and service impact of a consolidated public safety department,” the Farms letter reads, in part. “However, if that is the direction to be taken, we feel that it should come from the Public Safety Ad Hoc Committee and should be inclusive of all of the Grosse Pointes, including Grosse Pointe Shores and Grosse Pointe Woods, which likewise share our borders and mutual interests.”

Last month, the City and the Park received a grant of up to $20,000 to help fund a study by an outside expert of a proposed merger between the public safety departments of the City, Park and possibly Farms. The grant — from the Michigan Department of Treasury — was part of the first round of newly created Economic Vitality Incentive Program grants. The grant would fund 25 percent of the cost of the study, according to the City’s letter.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer K. Michelle Moran at kmoran@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1047.