City charter change proposal raises too many unknowns
From the looks of things, the city council’s decision to ask voters to change the city charter is dead on arrival – based on the pushback we have seen on social media during the past couple of weeks.
Recently, a split council (over the objections of Councilmembers Ian Perrotta and Andrea Karpinski) voted in favor to put a charter amendment on the November ballot.
The proposal will ask voters whether the city should eliminate the charter sections that establish the fire and police chiefs’ positions, as well as their respective departments.
The problem with this proposal is that the council does not say what would replace those positions and services.
The only hint of what would come, were it to be approved, is that the council would have the authority to come up with a plan to provide fire and police services.
This is all vague and fuzzy – something that will likely unsettle most voters.
Having said all this, there is a real concern over how the city can continue to provide both services at their present levels. The departments eat up about half of the city’s yearly $17 million budget.
The city is currently in deficit spending, and by next year it will have burned through its budget surplus.
Without taking some kind of drastic action, the city will once again – for the third time in 20 years – head into a financial emergency, which would once again prompt the state to appoint an emergency financial manager.
This is a major budgetary matter, and it needs to be addressed. But this proposal probably won’t end up being a way to solve the matter.
Posted Aug. 14, 2020
3 Responses to City charter change proposal raises too many unknowns
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Roadman
August 19, 2020 at 5:37 pm
Some see this as a thinly-veiled attempt for City Council to place someone they can control to run public safety and give the boot to the current police and fire chiefs.
Some have felt that Maxwell Garbarino may be the individual who City Council wants as a public safety director.
Look at all the lawsuit payouts in recent years and you can figure out why there is sentiment to eliminate or defund the Hamtramck Police Department.
Roadman
August 19, 2020 at 5:55 pm
One thing that is not clear about this proposal is that if there is no police department – who is going to provide law enforcement services – the Wayne County Sheriff?
When Cathy Square was emergency manager, her good relationship with Sheriff Benny Napoleon allowed WCSD deputies to help patrol Hamtramck – and Highland Park for a period relied upon the county sheriff to conduct patrols – but there are downsides to these types of arrangements – there is no such thing as a free lunch.
Yes, it is all “vague and fuzzy”, and the City of Hamtramck may be creating a lot of problems for itself if this ballot proposal is adopted by the electorate.
Resident
August 20, 2020 at 9:14 pm
@Roadman – easy fix for manufactured problem – vote no. I am voting no.
We need our police department and we need our fire department.
-Resident