UPDATE: County voters reject sheriff's deputies, detectives in millage vote
Rejection means 22 road patrol deputies, sergeants on the chopping block
An Isabella County Sheriff police cruiser sits parked outside the Isabella County Jail at 207 Court St. in this March 2021 file photo. Sheriff's road patrol deputies are not considered mandatory employees in Isabella County and so were facing elimination following a Feb. 27 vote against a millage increase. However, this spring the county Board of Commissioners directed staff to find roughly $515,000 to keep deputies on the road through the end of the calendar year. (CM Life photo | Michael Livingston | file)
“We knew it was part of something that could happen,” said Deputy Ferrier.
Ferrier and the 16 deputies will be out of work as of December 31st, he said. But other positions will also be gone. Ferrier is currently going through background checks for a position in Alma, which he said is “20 minutes from home so not bad at all.”
Voters rejected, 54.8% to 45.2%, a ballot measure last night that would have kept 22 road patrol deputies, sergeants and detectives on Isabella County's payroll.
He said the other deputies were getting jobs in nearby counties as well.
Ferrier had mixed expectations about the millage results. He said that the past few votes have been very close, with the previous millage renewal that would have raised up to $6.15 million for general operations in its first year a ‘No’ but Parks and recreation and I Ride a narrow pass previously. When asked if he was surprised about the results, Ferrier said, “Yes and no.
“Would I have thought that people would prioritize public safety? Yes. But people don’t want to pay more taxes and people don’t trust the government right now, top down.”
Ferrier said that the 16 deputies are waiting until they learn they are accepted elsewhere before they make plans to move. He doesn’t know when he’s moving yet.
“Deputies are finishing old reports, wrapping stuff up so we don’t have anything hanging over our heads when we leave,” Ferrier said.
Sheriff Michael Main easily cruised to another term in his uncontested race on election night. However, when he takes the oath of office to lead the department for his ninth year, it will be with the knowledge that his department will be greatly reduced starting in January.
One bubble on Isabella County's ballot cancelled the funding for 22 law enforcement staff who currently work at the Isabella County Sheriff’s Department: The new millage would have raised the housing tax by $1.45 per every $1,000 of assessed taxable value. This marked the third election cycle this year in which the cash-strapped county has asked voters to support government operations.
The tax would cost the owner of a $100,000 taxable valued home $145 per year. It was expected to generate nearly $3.74 million in its first year.
In an interview on Nov. 4, Main said it was “scary” to think about losing the road patrol in Isabella County. He said that it's concerning for two reasons:
- In Macomb County, people voted down a millage and lost their road patrol. They had increased crime and speeding because no one was patrolling the streets.
- When Macomb County tried to change its mind and reinstate a millage, they struggled to hire and train new law enforcement. Main listed specialties such as: forensic investigators, emergency service, the SWOT (Specialized Weapons and Tactics) team, and trainers for specialties like the use of force and tasers. Sheriff Main said it is expensive and time-consuming to hire and train people for these and other positions.
“There are classes that are expensive, and you have to take time off patrol and train them in all that," he said.
What did voters say about the millage on Nov. 5?
Voter Cliff Willis lives in town with his wife, Char. He voted no on the initiative.
“I pay enough taxes, I pay too much taxes,” Willis said. “They should get rid of some administration, (and get) more patrolmen."
Joe Purdey exited the polls having voted "Yes" on the millage.
"I’m no police officer myself,” Purdey said. “I've been in the shadows a lot, but some of the things hanging out in the shadows these days need someone going after (them). ... If that costs a little extra, so be it."
Voter Laurie Richards, an elementary school teacher, said that the millage shouldn’t be too contested. She said the presidential election would be the most debated.
Now, all deputies working for the county department, which includes road patrol, the sergeants and the detectives will definitely be cut. In a previous interview, Sheriff Main said they don’t have the funding in the bank to keep them past Dec. 21 if the millage is voted down.
