By Dan Shriner
Review Editor
After several weeks of obviously contentious negotiations between Lake Orion and Orion Township, the township board on Monday night voted to include language to allow village residents to vote for a police millage, perhaps in November.
For the past 24 years, Orion Township and Lake Orion residents voted on police millages that were on the same ballot question. The township would capture those funds that were levied against village property owners and return them to the village.
There were a several reasons that the bickering began, which included the township’s demands that the village use the funds returned to them only for police services when there were some question raised about whether the village had the rights to use those funds elsewhere.
In March, the township voted unanimously to exclude the village from the wording that had to be sent to Oakland County by May 10 to ensure the question is placed on the August primary ballot. On Monday, however, the board reversed itself and voted 7-0 to include the village in the ballot language for one year. After the one-year contract, the village will be required to manage and levy their own police millage.
Several board members said they wanted to end the bickering and do what was right for the residents.
“We are trying to extend an olive branch,” Supervisor Chris Barnett said. “For the safety of the village and township, we will work together.”
Trustee Mike Flood agreed.
“Take the politics out of it. Let the village decide how they want to pay for their police department and we will decide for the township,” Flood said.
Other board members expressed similar sentiments.
“It’s the right thing to do to bridge the gap. We don’t understand why it got to this point,” said Trustee John Steimel.
But, in order to get the one-year millage renewal before village voters to prevent any gap in funding after the one year contract, the village must submit their ballot question to the Oakland County Clerk’s office by Aug 16 to make the November election. If they were to prepare the ballot language for the August primary election, the village council must either hold a special meeting this week or pass the measure at the scheduled meeting on Monday night. That leaves only a few hours to get the ballot language to the Oakland County Clerk’s office May 10 to put it on the ballot by August.
There had been discussions during the past week about whether the township would agree to levy the millage and return the funds to Lake Orion for a period of one to four years. It was finally agreed upon late last week to include language for the township to levy it for one year. That would give the village time to consider and develop its own millage plan for police services.
Under the past Police Millage Agreement, a 24-year-relationship, Orion Township levied, collected and distributed the village’s portion of the police 2.9885-mills and sent the village one check.
If the village was excluded, the Lake Orion Police Department would lose about $350,000 of its $800,000 budget. Other supplements to the village’s police budget include captures from the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), about $67,000, and transfers from the general fund, about $364,000.
Trustee Neal Porter also agreed that it was best to work together.
“It has nothing to do with police. It’s two communities trying to wean the village off so they can run their business.”
Village Manager Darwin McClary, who was not at the township meeting, said previously that it would be appropriate for the township to levy the village’s police millage for one more year to give the village time to come up with their own police millage.