County Committee Approves Discount Patrols for TownshipsCounty Committee Approves Discount Patrols for Townships

2/26/13 - The Livingston County Board of Commissioners Public Safety Subcommittee has recommended a deal with Hartland and Tyrone Townships to continue providing around-the-clock road patrols, but whether the townships will accept the deal is yet to be seen. For decades, the two townships have paid the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department to keep a single patrol car on their roads 24/7. Undersheriff Mike Murphy says the county has subsidized the service for years by not charging the townships for the cost of the cars or ancillary equipment used by the officers, which make up about 40% of the expense. The deal preliminarily approved last night would continue to provide the service at a cost to the townships of roughly $153,000 for the first year and $160,000 for the second year. While that is less than what had originally been proposed by the sheriff’s department, it is still more than the flat $154,000 annual deal the townships had sought. The proposed pact must still be approved by the county’s finance committee before going to the full board of commissioners next Monday and then back to the townships for final approval. The renewal of a deal for an eight-hour-per-day patrol in Putnam Township was also approved last night. Murphy says the arrangement provides value to both the county and the townships, and the county will use the next couple of years to explore long-term goals and plans in the area of public safety. (TD/JK)