Highland OCSD contract comes in at $1.77 million

An article by Angela Niemi    No Comments

There will no longer be a lieutenant at the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department Highland Township Substation in 2012, according to the contract with the county’s law enforcement arm approved at the November Highland Board of Trustees meeting.

Instead, the substation will be commanded by a detective sergeant.

“One of the very important observations to make first of all is that this is not a reflection on the lieutenant (David Pement),” said Supervisor Triscia Pilchowski. “He did a fine job, and we appreciate his service. He’s been a benefit to the community. However, we have a population of 19,212, and that is considerably less than any community that has a lieutenant. You have to go up to 30,000 or more to find a contracted community in Oakland County that has a lieutenant.”

Asked whether Pement would continue working at the substation, Pilchowski said she isn’t sure what the sheriff’s department protocol is for such situations.

Back in the 1990s, Highland operated with a detective sergeant in command, according to Pilchowski, who added that in terms of administration, this is “more in line with how we were” in the past.

Highland’s contract with the Sheriff’s Department is roughly $1.77 million and is paid for through a millage.

The 2012 contract includes a detective sergeant, one patrol investigator, and 12 road patrol deputies. That is one less patrol investigator and one less road patrol deputy than was contracted for in 2011.

Another patrol investigator is also a part of the contract, but he will serve at Huron Valley Milford High School and is therefore paid for by the Huron Valley School District.

Pilchowski said that maintaining the same coverage next year as the township had this year would have put the township in a hole by about $300,000.

“We have some fund balance that we expect to have at the end of the year, but it would not be in the realm (to cover $300,000),” she said. “It’s more in a range of about $100,000.”

She added that the township planned to finish paying off the current contract with funds from the fund balance.

Meanwhile, Pilchowski and the township board hope to put millage language together that would provide sufficient funding for the substation to have more coverage.

“My opinion is to bring us to a place where we have outstanding coverage with 14 patrol deputies, two patrol investigators, and one detective sergeant.”