By Megan Kelley
Editor
mkelley@mihomepaper.com
INDEPENDENCE TWP. — During its meeting on May 20, the Independence Township Board of Trustees approved an amendment to the 2025-27 Law Enforcement Agreement with Oakland County.
The board approved the contract in early February of this year and has since been in negotiations with Oakland County in an attempt to alleviate some of the immediate cost attached to the agreement.
Last November, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners approved an increase in cost attached to police services provided by the county, which for Independence Township resulted in an increase of about 15.2% which is expected to result in a net budget impact of $1,326,791.
According to township Supervisor Chuck Phyle, negotiations resulted in an agreement with the Oakland County Board of Commissioners for the township to receive a 4% discount on its first year payment but will then be recaptured by Oakland County in the third year of the contract so the overall monetary agreement will stay the same.
“So really, what it amounted to is a 4% interest free loan over a two year period of time. We still have to pay it. We just get to defer that payment until the third year without having to pay any interest on it,” Phyle said.
Also in the meeting, the board approved an agreement with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office for marine patrol services for Deer Lake.
Recently, the Deer Lake Property Owners Association (DLPOA) voted to continue funding marine patrol services through the OCSO. The agreement between DLPOA and the OCSO was for 68 hours of patrol at a cost of $49.64 an hour for a total cost of $3,375.52
DLPOA will be funding this agreement through the township. The board approved the agreement and subsequent budget amendment as well as voted to accept payment from DLPOA for the current year and following two years.