By Gari Voss
Conversations arose when the City of Allegan was informed by City Manager Joel Dye that the council needed to find ways to finance a laundry list of projects over the next 10 years. During that meeting, the proposal was made to transfer the police protection from the City of Allegan Police Department to the Allegan County Sheriff Department. The transfer of jurisdiction is not a defund effort. Such a move requires following a process before an agreement with the County is able to be executed.
Gale Dugan, Chair of the Allegan County Commissioners, shared, “The Board of Commissioners has adopted policies that address the advent that a municipality is seeking this type of service. The scope and perimeter of the service is laid out administratively and reported back to board.”
“Generally, County law enforcement contracting is designed to enhance existing levels of service,” explained County Administrator Robert Sarro. “For each Deputy contracted, a portion of the time is spent within the municipality and a portion covers county-wide service. When a municipality that has an existing police department decides to explore possibilities of closing their police department and desires to utilize the County force, the municipality must have a solid knowledge of the level of service it is expecting and must consider how contracting for law enforcement services is designed to work.”
Allegan City Manager Dye laid out the list of projects to be completed and an amount attached to each project. The challenge has been to find dollars in the budget to cover the cost of those projects, especially since the grant funding used on previous projects has disappeared with federal cutbacks in funding and the closing of key offices.
A proposal made to the City Council related to closing the Allegan City Police Department and contracting with the Allegan County Sheriff Department. Dye felt that this would save about $500,000. But any such change must follow a process.
The pieces outlined by Sheriff Frank Baker and supported by County Administrator Sarro were broken down as follows:
“Typically, municipalities request a meeting to learn more about our operations and the services we provide. This helps them determine whether our offerings align with their needs.
If a municipality decides to explore the concept further, the County Administration works with us to determine what financial impact this would have on our budget and to set the appropriate fee for services. This fee is based on County policy and the resources the municipality is requesting.
“Should a municipality wish to move forward with a contract for police services, it is processed under the following County policy:
4.16.7 Law Enforcement Contract (Fund 287) – The CAO is authorized to:
4.16.7.1 Execute Law Enforcement Services agreements (100% Local Unit for all personnel costs/100% County for all other costs) in conjunction with the Sheriff and local units of government within Allegan County.
4.16.7.2 Budget for and expend the necessary funds to meet the County’s obligations under the agreements, including but not limited to the creation of positions if deemed necessary (coterminous with the agreement), personnel costs, equipment, vehicle procurement or replacement and vehicle maintenance and operating costs.
4.16.7.3 Purchase existing vehicles and equipment owned by a participating local unit.
4.16.7.4 Sell vehicles and equipment, if necessary, in the event of a termination of agreement.
4.16.7.5 Update the County’s vehicle fleet list to reflect any vehicles purchased or sold in relation to the agreements.”
Those are the financial nuts and bolts of the contract. Commissioner and vice-chair Scott Beltman, who was at the City Council meeting, shared that the County Commissioners had not received any information about such a transition. He cautioned that such a change may not have the monetary savings of $500,000 that is originally expected. Plus, the quality or quantity of service given by the local police department may not be equaled by the county officers even though they are extremely profession in executing their jobs.
To this, Police Chief Jay Gibson posed, “How do you quantify the quality of service and relationships that the current Allegan Police Department gives? How will this affect the current officers, especially those who have retirement pensions tied to contracts with the City of Allegan?”
Where is the City of Allegan in the process of transitioning to the county? City Manager Dye met with county administration before the April 10th budget meeting. He shared information with the City Council during the meeting and did qualify it as a possibility.
During the April 14th Council meeting, information regarding projects and costs was again shared, but it was evident that Chief Gibson learned about the proposal from other sources. Neither the city manager nor the county administration had informed him before the April 14th meeting that the proposal to transition the law enforcement to the county was being considered.
City Manager Dye has now met with Chief Gibson. The council has been reviewing the information and will include the proposal on the agenda for their April 28th meeting.
Chief Gibson knows his officers and what they do each day on the streets of Allegan and in the Allegan schools. Reflecting on having a contract with the County, he realizes that according to contract, 25% of the time, there may be no coverage in the city, and he feels this is significant. In addition, the School Resource Officers (SROs) are not included in the contract. There are officers who have been with the force for 9 years, but according to their contract, if they do not complete 10 years, that retirement will be lost.
“I don’t enjoy the position my colleagues have been put in, in a rushed manner,” shared Gibson. “At the same time, I do not want people making negative comments. It only helps if they explain their feelings and positions in an appropriate manner.”
Reflecting on the basic Law Enforcement Contract, each municipality is different. There are cities and townships around the county that contract with the sheriff’s department. Each has very different situations from the City of Allegan and from each other.
As the process continues to unfold, Human Resources will need to consider the officers in the City of Allegan since some have been saving years for retirement. How will the city compensate officers for their years of service?
All but one of the officers is an Allegan High School graduate with strong ties to the community. Will the County officers have the same dedication to the city and its citizens? Will the county be able to utilize any of the current city officers? These are just a few questions that have been asked since the proposal was posed at the April 14, 2025, meeting.
The Allegan City Council will meet on Monday, April 28, 2025, at 6pm at City Hall, 231 Trowbridge St. Time for Public Comments, not to exceed 3 minutes each, are scheduled at the beginning and the end of the agenda.
