Grosse Ile police describe staffing shortfalls, possible $112,000 millage gap and plan generator replacement

Grosse Ile Police Chief Doug Carmack on Feb. 10 told the township board that the department finished its 2024 review with lower proactive activity in some categories, ongoing staffing shortages and a draft projection that could leave roughly $112,000 less in police-dedicated millage revenue beginning April 1.

The numbers and staffing picture matter because the Public Safety building houses dispatch and serves as a warming and cooling station for residents; if power or the department’s 33-year-old generator failed, dispatch and emergency response could be impaired, Carmack said.

Carmack said dispatch received 10,651 incoming phone calls in 2024 and that calls for service and some categories of enforcement changed year to year. He reported reserve volunteers logged 1,889 hours; the animal-control/ordinance officer handled about 603 animal calls and roughly 865 ordinance calls; and arrests and certain citation types varied compared with prior years. He told the board the department is authorized for 24 members but is “about four people down” because of a mix of unfilled positions, long-term injuries and planned leaves.

The staffing shortfall translates into operational pressure: minimum staffing requires two officers per shift, officers work 12‑hour platoons under the current contract, and shortages increase overtime and the risk of burnout, Carmack said. He told trustees the department has been juggling shifts and overtime to cover patrols and dispatch.

On revenue, Carmack presented draft projections that show the police currently consume five township millages that formerly left surpluses for the general fund. Using the township’s draft assumptions for wages, benefits and taxable value, he said the department could face “about a hundred and $12,000 shortfall” in those five millages beginning April 1 if the assumptions hold. Board members and staff emphasized the numbers are preliminary; the board’s finance staff is completing formal budget workups and a special election to extend or add millage would cost an estimated $12,000–$15,000 and is not scheduled until 2026 unless the township holds a special election.

Carmack and township staff discussed forfeiture funds seized through law-enforcement operations. Carmack said the department’s available forfeiture balance had grown from about $78,000 several years ago to approximately $1,000,000 after recent larger seizures; he said the department has spent several hundred thousand dollars from those accounts on capital projects. Township management reminded the board that federal and state forfeiture funds have legal restrictions and cannot be used to replace routine operational budget items. Carmack said federal forfeiture rules also bar using those federal funds to buy certain items in some cases; he reported that federal forfeiture cannot be used to purchase the Public Safety building’s main generator.

Using forfeiture and grant funds, the department completed several major projects in 2024 and early 2025, Carmack said: implementation of a body-worn camera system, replacement of in-car camera systems, records-technology upgrades, evidence-room improvements and construct ion of a secure evidence cage. Planned or under-bid projects for 2025 include replacement of aging patrol-car laptops (older units are no longer upgradable), replacement of tasers, replacement or upgrade of the township ID machine, updates to the jail intake/live-scan workstation, and a public-safety generator project that the township engineer is now scoping.

Carmack said the existing generator is about 33 years old and while it runs weekly tests, typical industry guidance provided by the township’s engineering consultant places replacement cycles near 25 years. He and the engineers said renting a temporary commercial generator can cost roughly $900–$1,100 per day; long lead times for installation and wiring mean a failure of the installed unit could produce days or weeks of risk to dispatch and building systems. Board members and staff discussed options the engineers were exploring, including using existing building switchgear and minimizing structural demolition by leveraging prebuilt utility access points.

Carmack and trustees also reviewed regular grants and revenues that support police work: a COPS accreditation grant (chief’s estimate near $130,000), MCOLES training funds for sworn officer continuing education, state dispatch grants, the Operation Stone Garden overtime grant used primarily for marine patrol and security patrol overtime, tobacco compliance funds, and the Bulletproof Vest Partnership.

Carmack repeatedly urged the board to balance the use of forfeiture funds: those accounts have enabled a rapid catch-up on obsolete equipment, but they are not a reliable annual revenue stream and cannot legally supplant recurring operational costs. The chief said the department will present specific capital requests (including the generator replacement scope and bids) for board approval after the engineer completes the RFP/design work.

The board thanked Carmack and the staff for the presentation and directed continued detail work in upcoming budget study sessions. The township manager and finance director will fold the police projections into the township’s general budget calendar before trustees make any decisions about millage or program adjustments.

Ending: Trustees and staff said they will continue budget planning with the police department in the next four to six weeks; any decision about millage or major budget changes would follow the township’s public budget process and hearing schedule.