JOINT POLICE AND FIRE PROTECTION S.B. 1485: COMMITTEE SUMMARY
Senate Bill 1485 (as introduced 11-10-04)
Sponsor: Senator Mike Goschka
Committee: Commerce and Labor
Date Completed: 12-1-04
CONTENT
The bill would amend Public Act 33 of 1951, which provides for police and fire protection for townships, incorporated villages, and cities under 15,000 population, to increase the population limit of cities to 100,000.
Under the Act, the governing bodies of two or more contiguous townships, villages, or cities may, acting jointly, create a joint police administrative board, fire administrative board, or police and fire administrative board. The Act also authorizes all of the following:
-- Creating special assessment districts and levying and collecting special assessments.
-- Contracting for fire and police protection.
-- Purchasing, maintaining, and operating fire and police equipment and defraying the cost of that equipment.
The Act applies to townships, and adjoining townships and incorporated villages and cities under 15,000 inhabitants acting jointly. The bill would refer to cities under 100,000 inhabitants.
MCL 41.810 & 41.811 Legislative Analyst: Patrick Affholter
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no effect on State revenue or expenditures, and an indeterminate effect on local revenue and/or expenditures. Presumably, local units enter into joint arrangements under the Act in order to achieve some goal(s), including coordination of services across adjoining jurisdictions or cost efficiencies. As a result, local units allowed to enter into joint arrangements under the bill could be able to save money in providing certain services, either resulting in less need for future millage rate increases or allowing millage rates to be reduced. It is unknown how many local units would choose to engage in joint operations as a result of the bill.
Similarly, because the Act allows special assessments to be levied to pay for joint services, some local units could experience higher taxes and greater revenue. Presumably, these circumstances would occur only in local units where the services are not already being provided or are not being provided at the level that would occur under the bill.
The fiscal impact is preliminary and will be revised as new information becomes available.
Fiscal Analyst: David Zin
Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb1485/0304