Pleasant Ridge to Consider Fire Agreement With Berkley

Berkley and Pleasant Ridge have begun discussion of a possible public safety collaboration and those talks could move another step forward when the Pleasant Ridge city commission meets at 7:30 tonight.

Pleasant Ridge, which has its own police force, has contracted fire services through Ferndale for the last 88 years. But, that would change if Berkley and Pleasant Ridge decide to form a single public safety department.

A public safety department consists of officers who are trained in both police and fire protection services.

The Pleasant Ridge commission's Tuesday meeting agenda includes several items that could clear the way for a public safety partnership with Berkley, including:

• Consideration of the agreement between the City of Berkley and the City of Pleasant Ridge for fire protection services.
• Consideration of the Notice to Terminate Ferndale Fire Protection Agreement, pursuant to Paragraph 1 of the Amendment to Ferndale/Pleasant Ridge Fire Protection Agreement dated July 6, 2005.
• Consideration of authorizing the city manager to continue ongoing negotiations with Berkley regarding public safety.

During a meeting last month, the Berkley council passed a fire agreement that ensures services would not be disrupted if the Ferndale fire department contract falls through or if Pleasant Ridge decides to terminate the contract. Pleasant Ridge has to give Ferndale a two-year notice before it can do so. The current contract ends June 30.

Pleasant Ridge's contract with Ferndale costs approximately $300,000 a year, but it has been as high as $430,000, Ferndale Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan said last month. Ferndale Interim City Manager Mark Wollenweber has said the contract is continually being renegotiated. Sullivan added that in the fiscal year ending 2013, the contract will cost Pleasant Ridge $265,000.

Under the agreement with Berkley, Pleasant Ridge would pay $104,000 for the year beginning July 1, 2013; $109,000 for the year beginning July 1, 2014; and a price to be set in 2015, if needed.

Gov. Rick Snyder has encouraged local governments to consolidate services in order to qualify for statutory state-shared revenue funds and officials from Berkley and Pleasant Ridge have said this is a factor in their talks. However, Pleasant Ridge residents expressed concerns during last month's Berkley  council meeting about response times and quality of service should the departments join forces.

Director Richard Eshman said he sympathized with the speakers' concerns, which will be considered as a public safety collaboration is studied. But, he urged them to consider the positives of a public safety setup, including that all officers would be trained first responders and that combining functions would mean more police on the streets.

Berkley City Councilman Dan Benton also sought to allay some of the concerns.

"Knowing (Eshman) and (BPSD Deputy Director Robert North) the way I do," Benton said, "if we can't protect our citizens and Pleasant Ridge's citizens this (public safety collaboration) will not be their recommendation to this body."

The Pleasant Ridge City Council meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m., at the Pleasant Ridge Community Center, 4 Ridge Road.