Last week in this editorial space we announced that Van Buren Township is shutting down its fire department duty crews that have provided 24/7 response from the fire halls.
On Monday, we were informed that VBT now has given seven-day layoff notices to its police patrol and dispatch employees.
Patrol Officer Adam Byrd, the union president, sent out a memo to police patrol and dispatch employees saying on Nov. 23 he received official notification from “our employers” that they have a contractual obligation to give a seven-day layoff notice as outlined in the union contract.
The “employer” doesn’t know how many employees will be affected or when layoffs will occur.
Officer Byrd asked union members to keep this information confidential, but by the end of the day it was being shared throughout the township.
Even the newest police officer, pictured in our paper last week as he was sworn in on Nov. 13, is on the possible layoff list.
VBT has another full year of collecting its public safety millage of four mills and won’t need to renew that until the end of 2017 when the money runs out. The Visteon bonds won’t be due until after that. What’s the rush? VBT leadership needs to explain to its residents why it is slashing services right now. This has never been discussed at a public meeting.
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26 Comments
Weather
After speaking to an elected official. There is no announcement or letter to the union or letter from the Board. The Board is meeting in closed session on Monday to develop a Plan B. My personal thought is this is more scare tactics coming from Laurain or Leon.
Now let’s talk about a local business, The Driver’s Advantage, run by VBT Officer Dale Harrison operating the business at Fire Station 1 for $10. THIS seems like unnecessary liability exposure for the township. Unbelievable. We collect $10 then pay a blended rate officer $50 to take out their trash and clean the facility.
Harrison pays $10 to run his business in OUR fire dept? Have you seen what he charges just a single student? $315 per student for the segment one. Are you kidding me? They talk about layoffs and they can’t hire full time fire fighters but they allow a police officer to rent the fire station for $10? Wake up residents. All of VBT is corrupt and every single person should be fired or taken out of office. I absolutely hate this township and the way it is run by the self appointed kings and queens.
The answer the board gave was that Combs approved it, so it must be ok. You are right it is a joke. We are the laughing stock of Wayne county. Amazing how fast we have snowballed downhill.
You have one guy running a business out of the fire station and a chief who earns a second income during his normal work hours at Schoolcraft college. What else will come out? I know there is more ready to be exposed.
Before the township makes cuts in service, they need to show a good faith effort by making cuts to the 2016 Public Safety Budget. The 2016 proposed Public Safety Budget is over $300,000 from the 2015. Compare the proposed Police, Fire and Dispatch to the 2014 and the figure is over $500,000.
In the 2016 proposed Fire Budget, Besson asks for additional $97,420 for 3 employees to fill-in for the Fire Chief while he teaches at Schoolcraft College. Anthony Karver accomplished the work involved in these 3 positions himself before he was fired as a whistle-blower.
Whoever negotiated 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 raises should be replaced. They should hire an outside negotiator. This would take away some of the cronyism that runs rampant in the township.
Enough of the scare tactics…..they aren’t going to work.
Oh yes there was a notification sent out. Rosemary is correct and your board member isn’t telling you the truth.
To clarify, I was told no notice or notification came FROM the Board. Could be a directive FROM Laurain but nothing was approved by the Board, if it was it would be FOIAble. We’ll find out at the work study on Monday just who gave the directive to the Union President.
I agree that all of our directors are trying to use is a technique to scare voters into voting yes at the next election for a millage increase. Could there be cuts in places that don’t require a sacrifice to service? Well yes there is, they just have to think outside the box.
Didn’t I just read VBTPD just hired another officer? What layoffs?? Best part…this one is already trained as a FF so he can start earning $50/hour working shifts at the fire dept right away!!
Isn’t that what besson and laurain want? A PD guy trained as a firefighter so that they can disband the fire department? They will all be trained as firefighters soon and they will proclaim that they say thousands by doing so.
On November 23, 2015, official notification from the employer was given to the POLC Union President, a contractual obligation requiring a 7 day notice as outlined by Article VII Section 5 of the contract. Now, the Elected Officials are saying they did not give notice. So, who did? I think the primary reason for the additional 2.5 mills is strictly to “Create a Segregated Visteon Bond Payment Fund” to protect the 3 sitting electeds who voted for the Bonds on March 4, 2003 Board of Trustees Meeting. Hart, Jahr and Budd. Layoffs in the Fire and Police Departments is not the answer to a balanced budget. Which elected official has the back bone to stand up and demand a budget saving approximately the same amount the additional millage would bring in. After the DDA takes their part of the millage. The budget should be about $12.6 million dollars to save about $1.8 million dollars from the 2016 Proposed General Budget.
Former Van Buren Township Supervisor
Paul D. White
Not one elected official will dare stand up against Budd. Could she be using some kind of leverage to get these sheep to do what they want?
Did not work with me! Budd slammed the door on many meetings with Wright and me. Push back from Hart, Jahr and Budd was constant. The three would meet in her office after every board meeting for discussion.
Tough 4 years, but I enjoyed every minute of my term serving the residents. Bringing the budget under control was huge during the recession years. The residents NEED a Supervisor with “fire in the belly” to bring the budget dollars to a sensible level expenditures. Necessary to pay the Visteon Bond without raising our millages. .
We need Paul White back in office!!!
The 2012, 2013, and 2014 Plante Moran Audited budgets averaged $12.6 million dollars. Throwing money and employees at a problem never resolves the problem. This creates more problems.
If the elected officials did not direct Laurain to send notice to the union then Laurain should dismissed at once. I’ve said it before. We need to hire an outside negotiator for union contracts. There is just too much cronyism between Budd, Leon and the unions. The board talks about needing to raise income to pay Visteon bonds, yet they negotiate 4 consecutive years raises for township employees. Even the new guys that have only been there a couple month are getting raises.
So here we have to wait another year before our voices are heard and vote for new officials. I just hope for a better panel of options when it comes time to vote. This has been the worst few years of leadership that this township has ever had. The sad part is that each week, more and more stories of wrong doing comes out in the paper. What is next?
Diane Madigan is right about needing an outside negotiation team for union contracts. It looks like budd is the township rep. for these negotiations, I didn’t know that so probably many residents did not know this. She is becoming stale and tired on the board. We never really hear what she’s thinking, we never hear why she votes a certain way, we never hear her vision for the township, instead she gets a township resident to be her mouthpiece. Maybe she’s afraid to lose votes. Hiring an outside firm for negotiations would bring less bias, favortism and more independent thought.
VBT residents: Let’s support & defend our VBT Firefighters/Duty Crew. Do not support the Visteon3: budd, jahr, hart.
How could the budget go south so fast after it had been balanced in previous years? Is this a direct reflection of Linda Combs or should the blame be placed on the Fire Chief and Police Chief? Should all of them be held responsible for the shortfall? Is there overspending somewhere that couldn’t be contained?
I am just not understanding why all of a sudden the swift cutting of services is needed?
Maybe it is true that the elected officials are using police and fire to con us into voting yes and then use the money to pay the imminent Visteon bond.
This is very confusing.
At the work study I asked, Who gave the directive to the union president, Adam Byrd about a 7 day lay-off notice.
Leon said, “No one. No one from the Board of Trustees and as I’m aware no one else from the department gave that directive. There was a misunderstanding in which Mr. Byrd took that and disseminated that wrong. No directive has been given to any one about lay-offs of any status, fire or police.”
Adam Byrd was a huge supporter of the 6.5 millage. It’s very concerning to me that the union is now dealing out scare tactics to the residents and township employees. These scare tactics are causing friction and hostility among the public and police and fire employees, and needs to stop. Where is the leadership?
Well then who gave Vinson the directive to send out his letter about Duty Crew? I think the township officials, lawyers and public safety need to get on the same page.
Another good example of lack of communication and leadership. The attorney would had to have been directed by someone (twp.official).
Mr. White, never heard that before about budd meeting with jarr and heart after board meetings. she was probably informing them of the daily goings on at the twp.hall. Wonder if she informed them of what she was doing.
SUPPORT OUR FIRE FIGHTERS!
What a strong display of unity from the police and a weak response from the Board at last night’s Board Meeting. Leon had a chance to make things right but ended up making things Wright. His motto should be: “If at first you don’t succeed, lie, lie again.” All the while the Board sat there with muzzles on. The excuse of, We Didn’t Know, will only cover you for so long. The Trustees need to get off their butts and try to find an honest leader among themselves. Lord knows, there isn’t any among the full-timers.
The statements of support for police officers and fire fighters fall short when they cover-up their lies by pointing fingers at Adam Byrd who Leon says disseminated their 7-day notice for lay-offs incorrectly….. it was proven last night, Byrd was just following orders Mr. Wright. You and Laurain should be ashamed.
Each one of the representatives on the township board should be working on a way to fix the complete destruction that they have caused. They need to end employment with Mr. Laurain and Mr. Besson immediately. If they don’t do that, they need to step down. They can not keep getting away with the lies, cover ups and corruption that is taking place in the township. Whoever thought it was a good idea that Mr. Wright answer questions was sorely mistaken. He contradicted himself many times. The questions that were asked by the audience where not answered truthfully or at all. The silence the board exhibited is a sign of excessive lies. The board didn’t expect to be publicly questioned and they NEED TO ANSWER.
DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE DAMAGE YOU HAVE CAUSED.
The silence of the board spoke volumes. The unity of the police officers and firefighters is to be commended, they all showed courage and honor. They are disgusted with the type of management and decisions at township hall. It didn’t take long for things to fall apart under combs and budd. The police officers/fire fighters at the board meeting last night were well spoken and asked valid questions which never got an answer. The basic question as to why this was even discussed since the 4 mills hasn’t expired wasn’t answered. No one wanted to admit that it was a scare tactic. The work atmosphere at township hall must be very stressful right now.
Its stressful alright. A real good firefighter just quit because of the horrible way things are run in the fire department and the way employees are treated. No one wants to admit but morale is at an all time low. Just ask your troops of fire and police who are doing the job daily, not the ones sitting behind the desk.
The low morale is probably just as bad or worse than it was during the recall. A long-time resident once told me that with the wave of a hand budd could have stopped the back-biting and low morale at twp.hall in the past and currently. but i’ve been told by many that she encouraged it and actually expected employees to take sides and to participate in the ridicule of white. A perfect example is combs as the senior director yelling at him and calling him names at a board meeting, she never would have done this without permission from bully budd. The lack of harmony among the employees was blamed on White but many knew that was not the whole story.
A new issue which never heard before was that budd met with jarr and heart after each board meeting. It would be interesting to know if she actually informed them of her participation in pitting one person against another and her intent to see white fail. This is behavior one would expect from an immature, insecure teenager not an adult and elected official that is supposed to lead by example.