SAGINAW (WJRT) -
(08/16/12) - Saginaw city officials continue to look over the numbers to determine what it would take for the sheriff's department to operate the city police department.
While we have some of the numbers, a committee formed to recommend a more cost-effective way to provide public safety, does not.
That has some members a little upset.
The city got the numbers from Saginaw County Sheriff Bill Federspiel late Friday, and nearly a week later, the people who are supposed to recommend changes to public safety, still haven't seen them.
"I have had people on the committee call me and expressed that same frustration too," says Jimmy Greene.
Greene is one of 17 people on that public safety committee that hasn't seen these numbers. ABC12 News has learned the proposal for the city to contract with the sheriff's department for police would cost a little more $9 million a year. The city now pays about $14 million for police. The sheriff says he would put 108 officers in the city, compared to the 86 or so that are there now. Greene says he got the numbers from the media.
"I thought on this panel we would be on the forefront of everything that came out as related to public safety, we're kind of on the back end," Greene says.
Assistant City Manager Phil Ludos says the committee hasn't seen the numbers because the $9 million figure only accounts for police officers and cars. There would be other costs, and Ludos wants the committee to have the most accurate numbers. Greene feels out of all the options the committee is looking at, contracting services to the sheriff's department is not the best.
"It would take a huge movement for me to look at anything beyond the city of Saginaw policing itself," Greene says.
He and others are also concerned the top two city officials who are crunching the numbers, city manager Darnell Earley and Ludos, don't call the Saginaw area home.
"If Ludos, and Darnell Earley are not committed, vested in the city, in terms of being citizens, it's almost like you have a bunch of people sitting in the room, who don't own any ramifications of what comes out of that room," he says.
Sheriff Bill Federspiel is having a press conference Friday morning where he will likely talk about the proposal.
