No Cuts for W. Bloomfield Public Safety

W. BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (myFOXDetroit.com) - There are big budget troubles in West Bloomfield, and as many as 30 officers and firefighters were on the chopping block. However, the cuts will not come from public safety.

A lot of police officers and firefighters showed up to a town hall meeting expecting to hear about layoffs, but that is not what happened. Instead, they were told by the township supervisor there will be no layoffs at this time.

"There was nothing that was posted on my budget summary about layoffs. So, if you're here to hear about layoffs, you came for the wrong meeting," said West Bloomfield Township Supervisor Michelle Economou.

Economou tells FOX 2 there is a budget deficit of more than a million dollars for 2010. But she and the board are optimistic they can find other ways to come up with the money.

One of them is a proposed furlough plan for township employees not including public safety. That is still yet to be put to a vote. The deadline for a new budget is December 31.

In the meantime, Economou offered to pitch in by taking a ten-percent cut herself, but that, too, was shot down by the board as a charter violation.

For now, despite rumors, the news of no layoffs comes as a relief to those who grasp the value of public safety.

"I can guarantee you bad guys read the newspaper. The first person you lay off, trust me, I hope you have your CCWs because you're going to need them," said Joe Miller with West Bloomfield Police.

During public comments, the board took a lot of suggestions on other ways to raise funding to prevent layoffs. They promise to look into many of those and come back with some answers soon.