Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge

Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge renew fire services contract

By Jeremy Selweski
C & G Staff Writer

» Click on image to view full size « File photo by Erin Sanchez The cities of Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge recently voted to continue a nearly 90-year relationship by extending their existing fire contract until at least 2016. Ferndale has provided fire protection and emergency medical services for Pleasant Ridge since 1923. File photo by Erin Sanchez The cities of Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge recently voted to continue a nearly 90-year relationship by extending their existing fire contract until at least 2016. Ferndale has provided fire protection and emergency medical services for Pleasant Ridge since 1923.

FERNDALE/PLEASANT RIDGE — The two cities recently reached an agreement to continue their nearly 90-year partnership, in which Ferndale has provided fire protection and emergency medical services for Pleasant Ridge.

The new contract was approved unanimously by the Ferndale City Council on Feb. 13; Councilman Scott Galloway was absent from the meeting. The next day, it was unanimously supported by the Pleasant Ridge City Commission.

According to Ferndale City Manager April McGrath, the agreement covers a three-year period from July 1, 2013, when the existing contract is set to expire, through June 30, 2016. However, it will carry on in perpetuity if both cities agree that it should continue.

The contract will cost Pleasant Ridge $250,000 in fiscal year 2013-14. From that point forward, it will feature an annual rate increase based on the inflationary rate multiplier determined by the state of Michigan, but that increase is capped at a maximum rate of 5 percent per year.

Under the contract, Pleasant Ridge will also be included as part of Ferndale’s ongoing discussions with the city of Hazel Park about establishing a regional fire authority. It features a provision allowing either party to terminate the contract with a two-year notice if a decision is made to enter the proposed collaboration.

City officials were overjoyed to finalize the new agreement. As Ferndale Mayor Dave Coulter told the audience — which included Pleasant Ridge Mayor Ralph Castelli, city commissioners Jason Krzysiak and Ann Perry, and City Manager Sherry Ball — on Feb. 13, the contract extension was under negotiation for several months, but had appeared unlikely to happen at all after Pleasant Ridge began exploring other options.

“In the meantime, of course, we were hopeful that maybe we could continue that relationship,” he said. “I think we have reached an agreement that is fair to the citizens of both cities, protects vital services in both of our communities and restores a partnership that has been going on for 90 years.”

While Pleasant Ridge has its own police department, Ferndale has provided fire services for its smaller neighbor since 1923, when both cities were still just villages.

However, that relationship had endured a difficult stretch lately. Although Ferndale significantly reduced its fees to Pleasant Ridge under the existing fire contract— dropping from a peak level of $407,000 in 2008-09 to $265,000 in 2012-13 — Ridge officials were hoping to lower the price even further.

They began taking steps toward a possible public safety merger with Berkley and also developed a backup plan in case the merger was not finalized within the next two years or a new contract with Ferndale had not been signed. Last May, the Berkley City Council approved a three-year fire contract with Pleasant Ridge that would have begun on July 1, 2013. Then, in June, the Pleasant Ridge City Commission voted unanimously to terminate the city’s longtime partnership with Ferndale once the current contract expires.

But, as Krzysiak noted, a lot can change in a few months. He was quick to thank Pleasant Ridge residents for “invigorating the debate” on the public safety issue and pushing city officials toward a new contract with Ferndale.

“It’s a welcome relief to me and to many others that we were able to achieve this outcome,” he said in a subsequent interview. “This is very satisfying as someone who favors the traditional model of separate police and fire departments. It’s also what the residents wanted, so I’m happy that the will of the people was followed here.”

Krzysiak and Perry, the newest members of the City Commission, had campaigned largely on the promise of maintaining the city’s existing method of providing police and fire services. Last November, they easily defeated incumbents George Lenko and Chuck Kellett, who had been open to the idea of a public safety merger with Berkley.

Another person who was happy about the new contract between Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge was Ferndale Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan, a Ridge resident.

“This is now off my plate of things to worry about,” he said. “I would have hated to see that 90-year relationship go away. I think the future is looking really good for both communities.”

According to Sullivan, combined police and fire services from Berkley would not have been a good fit for his city. “I’m not a believer in the public safety model,” he said. “I do believe that it can work in some small communities, but only if they are not bordered by a metropolitan area. I wouldn’t move into a public safety community myself, though, so I wasn’t too thrilled about my city trying to make that change.”

Nevertheless, the possibility for such a change is still on the table. Ridge officials learned last month that they had received a $132,250 grant from the state of Michigan to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of a public safety merger with Berkley. The award is part of Gov. Rick Snyder’s new Economic Vitality Incentive Program, which encourages Michigan communities to consolidate their services.

The City Commission has postponed taking any action on the grant money, however. Krzysiak noted that officials are still waiting to find out from the state what the funds can be used for before they decide whether to accept the grant. The issue will likely come before the commission again at its March 13 meeting.

“I’m very hesitant about it, though,” Krzysiak admitted. “I would be more in favor of a study that examined all of our options for providing police and fire services, rather than just looking at a public safety merger with Berkley. I would be really hesitant to support this if it’s only meant to lay the groundwork for a switch to public safety, especially when we just decided as a city to maintain our relationship with Ferndale.”

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Jeremy Selweski at jSelweski@candgnews.com or at (586)218-5004.