SUMPTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Sumpter Township leaders will again ask voters in November to approve additional funding for the township’s police department after a proposal to increase the police millage failed in the August primary election.
The township board voted Monday night (Aug. 8) unanimously to approve revised ballot language for a request to raise the police levy from three mills to five mills — an increase of two mills.
The measure failed in the primary, with 57% of voters rejecting it.
Township officials estimated turnout at about 24% to 25% and said roughly 14% of the total voter population voted the millage down.
If voters reject the proposal again in November, township board members said the police department would face a 41% cut to its operating budget.
Police Chief Eric Luke said that steep of a cut would be “devastating” to the department.
“This type of cut — we can’t sustain that. There’s no way for me to put a police department on the road, protect the residents, protect the officers with that kind of cut,” Luke said.
Luke said the department serves about 12,500 residents and responds to calls ranging from property damage to violent crimes. He said the department operates with as many as 18 sworn officers.
For roughly the past 15 years, Luke said police funding has come mainly from royalties from the Carleton Farms Landfill and the current 3-mill police millage.
Township Trustee Tim Rush said reduced staffing could lead to longer response times if the township has to rely on outside agencies.
“If we’re waiting on MSP or short-staffed here, that could be a great delay,” Rush said, referring to the Michigan State Police.
Rush said the department itself could be at risk if the measure fails again.
“We’d probably just have to close the doors on the Sumpter Township Police Department,” Rush said. “You can’t have a partially staffed police department.”
Resident Kristen McCray said rising costs make it difficult for some households to support another tax increase.
“I do feel like costs have gone up across the board for everyone in the country and especially in Michigan,” McCray said. “I’m wondering if we could go about it a different way instead of people also having to pay more out of pocket.”
Luke said calls for service have nearly doubled over the past five years, while the township’s population has increased by about 25% in recent years. He said the additional revenue would help keep the department’s budget in line with inflation and maintain current staffing.
“We would fail in our ability to respond properly to the runs coming in,” Luke said when asked what would happen if the millage fails a second time.
If approved, township officials said the millage is expected to raise more than $2.4 million in its first year.