Community Pushback Saves Allegan Michigan Police Department from Elimination

ALLEGAN, MI – A city in Southwest Michigan will keep its local police force after briefly considering axing the department as a cost-saving measure.

This month, Allegan city officials began discussing the idea of eliminating its police department and contracting with the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office instead for the city’s patrols and emergency response.

The move was proposed to make room in the city’s budget for a backlog of much-needed infrastructure improvements like road repairs, water line replacements and more, City Manager Joel Dye said.

But on Wednesday, April 23, the city announced it was scrapping the proposal due to community pushback. The city hosted a community meeting on Tuesday, where more than 100 attendees were “overwhelmingly” in favor of keeping the Allegan Police Department.

“Yesterday, our community came out loud and clear to support retaining our police department as is,” Dye said on the city’s Facebook page Wednesday. “We asked for resident input, and we listened. Contracting with the county for police services is no longer an option on the table.

Allegan is roughly halfway between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids.

Dye said the city still needs to find a way to come up with roughly $11 million over the next decade to pay for critical infrastructure projects.

“We simply don’t have money in our current budget for continued investment in our city’s critical infrastructure,” Dye said. “We must find a financial path that allows us to provide city services while paying for infrastructure needs. We will work collaboratively with our community to find a solution they can both support and participate in.”

Here are the projects Allegan needs to fund in the coming years:

Resurfacing or reconstructing 20% of roads and streets to maintain safe driving conditions for residents and visitors.
Replacing 800 lead water service lines, which is being mandated by the EPA and the state.
Investing in water treatment facilities to ensure drinking water is safe, clean and PFAS-free.
Replacing the condemned Trestle Trail Bridge, which will cost approximately $1 million.
Making improvements to Rossman Park, which will cost approximately $300,000.
Managing annual maintenance programs to keep the city-owned Regent Theatre and Griswold Auditorium operating smoothly and safely.
Handling annual maintenance and periodic upgrades for 10 city-owned parks.

During the April 14 Allegan City Council meeting, city staff shared the total cost for these projects for the next 10 years is approximately $14.2 million — a cost that isn’t currently available in the city’s budget.

Aside from potentially cutting the police department, Dye had floated several other ways the city could look to save money. Those alternatives included trimming expenses across the city’s budget, asking residents for an additional millage and borrowing from the water and sewer funds.

However, Dye said those options weren’t feasible. The city manager said the city already operates on a “bare bones” budget, and residents may be reluctant to approve another millage because Allegan has the highest taxes in the county, with a 16.368 millage rate.

Contracting police services with the county would have saved the city $750,000 in the first year and $460,905 annually after that. Dye said those funds would have been used to pay an infrastructure bond.

Dye said city staff will continue to explore other ways the city could raise money for infrastructure projects, including a millage and additional cost reductions.

“We thank Joel Dye and city staff for their diligent work in responding to the City Council’s request to explore funding options for future infrastructure improvements,” Allegan Mayor Traci Perrigo said in a statement. “We look forward to engaging the community in constructive dialogue as we discuss how to fund these needs in our city.”

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