By Megan Kelley
Editor
mkelley@mihomepaper.com
CLARKSTON — At its regularly scheduled meeting on March 10, the Clarkston City Council discussed a proposed new contract with Independence Township for police services.
The topic is one that has received heavy attention in the past several months after townships and cities in Oakland County that contract with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office were informed of a large increase in police services.
Independence Township itself saw a 15.2% increase across the board for services.
Now, the increase is expected to also hit municipalities like the City of the Village of Clarkston which subcontracts with the township for police services.
According to a letter from the city’s Attorney Tom Ryan, notable changes in the contract presented to the city from Independence Township include moving from a quarterly payment system to one that is paid monthly as well as a 2.72% increase for the next three years.
Additionally, the contract states that if the city overpays at any point for services, that money will be non-refundable.
While the council did discuss the contract, they did not move to approve it, as City Manager Jonathan Smith did have a few concerns.
“It’s clear that we need some more time to work with the township on some of the clauses,” Smith said.
One major issue that the city council had was the lack of information on what exactly the liability would be to the city on a monthly bass, especially if they would not be refunded should they overpay.
“We will ask that the algorithm be spelled out right on the invoice. That was not happening in the past, and there was no way for us to check it,” Smith said. “Under this new (one) we want to see, first of all, how is 2.72% – how did you reach that number?”
Mayor Pro Tem Laura Rodgers also asked if it might be a better option to find their own police coverage rather than go through the township but was quickly informed that the cost would be too great to start their own department.
Smith indicated that he believed they could have the contract figured out and ready for approval within the next two weeks.
Council will likely bring the contract forward for approval at its next meeting on March 24.