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Trenton council approves 5-year $220,000/year dispatch contract and a set of public-works and equipment contracts
Summary
The council authorized a five-year interlocal agreement to join Downriver Mutual Aid centralized 911 dispatch at $220,000 per year, approved fencing for police evidence storage, extended a parks mowing contract, authorized a bridge‑fund application engineer, and approved mower purchases at this meeting.
The Trenton City Council on March 2 approved a packet of operational contracts and funding-authority actions spanning public safety and public works.
Interlocal 911 dispatch: Police Chief Jake Hawkins presented a new interlocal agreement to move Trenton's emergency dispatch to the Downriver Mutual Aid 911 center, a partnership previously approved with Brownstown and other local agencies. The contract presented to the council showed a recommended cost-share totaling $220,000 per year for five years. The council moved, supported and approved the interlocal agreement; the transcript records the approval as unanimously ordered but does not list individual roll-call votes.
Police facility fencing: The police department sought a secure, fenced area inside the police storage garage to process and hold vehicles as part of accreditation compliance. Two quotes were received; Chief Hawkins recommended awarding the contract to Owens Fence Incorporated for $8,580, and the council approved the recommendation.
Parks contracting and equipment: Kevin Sargent, director of public services, requested a one-year extension with Turf Concepts (the vendor has maintained roughly 30% of city parks since 2020) for $74,131.38, citing limited seasonal staffing that leaves the city reliant on contractor capacity for part of the mowing season. The council approved the extension.
Bridge funding application: Sargent requested authorization to hire Fishback and their bridge engineers for $15,000 to prepare an MDOT local bridge funding application for fiscal year 2029. The city owns two local bridges (Harrison Avenue, Marion Drive over the Frank and Poe Drain) built in 1959 and 1964 that are nearing the end of their expected life and currently subject to weight restrictions; MDOT's local bridge program can fund up to 95% of project costs with a 5% local match. The council granted authorization for the professional services to support the application.
Mowers: The department requested purchase of three Exmark 60-inch zero-turn mowers from Kurz Equipment for $29,757 to replace units with approximately 1,700 hours that were breaking down; the council approved the purchase and authorized disposal of replaced mowers by public auction.
Why it matters: The dispatch agreement centralizes emergency communications and sets an ongoing annual cost for the city; bridge-engine authorization begins a process that could restore weight capacity to aging local bridges if state and federal funds are awarded. The parks and equipment measures are intended to maintain city services given limited seasonal staffing.
What happens next: The engineering work for the MDOT application will be funded from the major streets fund and Fishback will prepare the application materials; the dispatch contract and other vendors will proceed per department implementation steps recorded in the council approvals.
Note: The transcript documents motions, support and mayoral declarations that items were "unanimously so ordered," but it does not record individual roll-call vote tallies for these agenda items.
