Rick Snyder took office in January 2011 as Michigan faced yet another budget deficit and as plenty of citizens wondered whether state government could act with alacrity. Armed with large Republican majorities in both chambers of the Legislature, and aided by a good economic tailwind, Snyder rushed through the first six months of his term […]
Michigan Government
Citizens cannot do their job of running their government if they don’t know what their public servants are doing.
Posted inMichigan Government
Double-duty fire chief serves two Lansings
Randy Talifarro has dealt with his share of dangerous situations during nearly three decades in firefighting. Perhaps that’s why the veteran East Lansing fire chief didn’t exactly charge into the fray when asked to assume the task of also running the city of Lansing’s Fire Department. “Candidly, I was a little hesitant,” said Talifarro, 51, […]
Posted inMichigan Government
In some cities, it's cash that's burning
In Michigan, your home address says everything about how much you spend for fire protection. In Midland, a city of 41,000, residents paid $155 per person in 2010 for their Fire Department. But in Wyoming, a West Michigan city of about 72,000, they paid less than half that, $59 per capita. Fire departments spend about $400 million […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Medical calls dominate fire run stats
When the dispatch call goes to a typical Michigan fire station, chances are it has nothing to do with fire. In fact, odds are about four in five it’s some kind of medical emergency. And even then, it may well turn out to be a false alarm. Not exactly the kind of sirens-blaring drama many […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Negotiating with 'heroes' no simple matter
In 2009, Ann Arbor became the poster child for critics of Michigan’s public safety binding arbitration law, as a labor settlement cost the city $1.5 million in retroactive pay raises. The judgment came as police and fire departments consumed 55 percent ofAnn Arbor’s budget and the city stared down a $2.4 million deficit. The case […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Troy's hybrid force keeps fire costs in check
Troy, an Oakland County city of 80,000, has pioneered an approach unique in Michigan for urban fire departments. Its department relies on a force of about 170 volunteers, augmented by 10 career firefighters. With six stations, it reaches 87 percent of fires within 10 minutes. Troy earns a fire protection rating of 3 from the […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Pension costs burn through city budgets
Lansing’s taxpayers were doused with some difficult news last week: The city’s pension fund for police and fire retirees could use a nearly $2 million boost from the city’s general fund. And the city’s already fighting a budget deficit. Big-city fire departments across Michigan continue to wrestle with the legacy costs of public safety pensions, […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Fighting fire better, from manpower to money
Rockford is up against same dilemma confronting communities across Michigan: Too many expenses and not enough revenue. Police, fire and public works consume about 70 percent of the budget in this city of 5,700 in northern Kent County. So why not combine all these functions into a single department? Public safety departments providing police and […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Merging fire services is tricky business
In January, the state started handing out money to local governments as incentives to consolidate public services with neighbors. Fire protection sharing figured prominently in the first round of 27 grants totaling $4.3 million. But it’s the lack of money, rather than the prospect of more, that should force more communities to look at service […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Drug courts a win-win for users, taxpayers
Judge William Schma retired from the Kalamazoo County Circuit Court bench in 2006. Six years later, he still runs into people whose lives turned around thanks to his drug court. Repeatedly. “I just got a call from someone graduating from the humanities program at Western Michigan University who wants me to come to graduation,” said […]