FeedsA shot across the bow?
Weeks after they approved an agreement to continue dispatch and lockup services with Plymouth Township, the Plymouth City Commission unanimously approved a resolution to explore regional fire alternatives.
The timing may be a little strange, but it’s still a good idea. By all accounts, we may be heading to a place—as a state—where localized fire departments are simply not fiscally practical. The industry appears headed in that direction, too, with the proliferation of automatic mutual aid pacts in which several departments are ready to respond to incidents in neighboring communities unless they are called off.
As officials in Northville and Plymouth have pointed out—publicly and privately—the obstacles facing such a momentous change are probably more political than practical. There is a huge sense of identity tied into public safety departments, a sense of community pride. There are plenty of employees—including upper echelon management types—who may worry about their own security if such a thing ever comes to fruition. Politicians face the implications that they may be giving away that sense of identity or turning their backs on people who have long served their respective communities, too.
In the case of Plymouth, it makes even more sense. The city administration and commission have done an amazing job in keeping costs down while increasing budget reserves in the face of declining revenue. They may have had help in the fact that Plymouth itself, while being a land-locked community, still isn’t built out. It’s constantly evolving, bringing in new development and increased residential investment. Eventually, though, the costs will catch up.
The resolution to seek regional fire improvements may be nothing more than a warning flare to their neighbors in Plymouth Township. The two municipalities recently renewed an agreement to continue dispatch services, but those negotiations probably took longer then they should have and they were filled, at times, with acrimony.
Investigating ways to provide services at lower costs to residents is the very essence of good government. City officials should be commended for taking the first step in this long, potentially contentious endeavor. We would salute anyone with the political will to follow in their footsteps, too, and question why anyone else wouldn’t.
