News

Wyoming residents will see a request to renew the City’s public safety millage on the Aug. 7 primary ballot.

The specific question asks voters to provide a permanent renewal of the annual levy of 1.25 mills for public safety, specifically for the operation, maintenance and administration of police and fire services. For a resident with a home valued at $100,000, the cost will remain at $62.50 per year.

“We’re proud of the work we’ve done to streamline our police and fire services and create efficiencies,” said Public Safety Director Kim Koster. “The safety of our residents and those who visit our community remains our top concern, and we have been working diligently to enhance the services we provide while being mindful of our budget.

“Rather than asking voters to consider the question every few years, we will ask them in August to make the millage permanent. The dedicated public safety millage will be critically important for funding our operations and allowing us to maintain our services.”

The millage was first passed by voters in 2010. At that time the City faced declining state funding, the loss of the General Motors Stamping Plant and falling property values. These three issues meant that less revenue was going into the City’s general fund. As police and fire services account for nearly 65 percent of all spending from the general fund, additional support was needed to prevent elimination and cuts to services.

Voters next renewed the millage in 2014. While home values have started to increase since that time, the City has faced continued cuts in state funding and its revenue status remains largely the same. The new Public Safety service delivery model has created many efficiencies and cost-savings; however, funding is still needed to maintain operations.

The following are a few of the Public Safety Department’s accomplishments since the dedicated millage was first approved in 2010:

• Achieved and maintained Gold-Standard police accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., putting the department in the top one percent of law enforcement agencies nationwide
• Provided a professional public safety response to more than 37,000 calls for service every year
• Implemented efforts to visit every school in Wyoming each school day, totaling 5,738 school visits last year
• Conducted daily and nightly visits to businesses, making 8,606 contacts and 6,852 closed business checks in 2017
• Equipped every police cruiser with an automated external defibrillator, or AED,  as well as supplying every officer with Naloxone, which reverses the effects of overdoses
• Increased forensic laboratory capabilities providing faster, more comprehensive results which have contributed to a higher success rate in solving crime
• Reduced response times with the 24/7 operation of the Gezon Fire Station and the addition of two quick-response vehicles, or QRVs
• Added three full-time fire fighters
• Utilized part-time employees to implement a peak load staffing model which employs more staff during times of high call volume
• Crossed-trained and licensed 22 City employees as fire fighters and utilized paid-on-call staff
• Secured grants that allowed staff to become licensed as EMTs and purchase CPR assisted compression devices

Residents can learn more about the millage and the Public Safety Department at an open house tonight, Tuesday, July 10 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Gezon Fire Station, 2300 Gezon Pkwy SW. Information can also be found on the City’s website at wyomingmi.gov/publicsafety or by calling 616.530.7272.