ALLEGAN, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – It’s not the “Last Chance Saloon” for the Allegan County Sheriff’s Department yet, but a moment of truth is coming.
A series of town hall meetings around the county last year to gauge public interest in policing was sparsely attended, as Board Chairman Dean Kapenga of Hamilton, a retired deputy himself, admitted that not enough residents are aware that the resources of the sheriff’s department hasn’t kept up with the growth of the county. “We do have reserves, we have been sound in our practices and how we’ve dealt with the funds, so we aren’t at that last straw going, ‘wait a second, we’re going to cut services, we’re going to cut this and this,’” Kapenga said, “but we’re getting there, our reserves are getting depleted, and we’re going to have to do something else because we can see that the track is going downhill.”
During Thursday’s board meeting, Kapenga and his colleagues instructed County Administrator Rob Sarro to come back by next month with options for addressing this issue, which may include a Proposal A rollback or a possible Patrol Millage proposal that could be before voters this November.
