A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
3
April 9, 2015
CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF CANTON
ACCESS TO PUBLIC MEETINGS
The Charter Township of Canton will provide necessary, reasonable auxiliary aids and services to individuals with disabilities at
the meeting/hearing upon a two week notice to the Charter Township of Canton. These services include signers for the hearing
impaired and audio tapes of printed materials being considered at the meeting. Individuals with disabilities requiring auxiliary
aids or services should contact the Charter Township of Canton by writing or calling the following:
Gwyn Belcher, ADA Coordinator
Charter Township of Canton, 1150 S. Canton Center Road
Canton, MI 48188
(734) 394-5260
Published: April 9, 2015
EC040915-1110 2.5 x 1.557
W
AYNE
- W
ESTLAND
Fire department seeks federal grants
Mayor presents $62 million balanced budget
Garbage bins are recalled
The combined Wayne-
Westland Fire Departments are
seeking a total of $3.5 million in
federal grants to add firefighters
to the current roster.
While the departments are
combined, each community pays
for the firefighters in their own
community. They share Fire
Chief Mike Reddy and other
administrative costs, but staffing
expenses are the responsibility of
the two communities.
In Wayne, members of the city
council approved an application
through a federal program,
Staffing for Adequate Fire and
Emergency Response (SAFER)
for funding to add six firefighters.
Currently, Wayne has only 12 full-
time firefighters a roster below
the number specified in the cur-
rent union contract.
Wayne has requested $1.2 mil-
lion to fund six firefighters for
two years.
In Westland, the council unan-
imously approved the application
throughSAFER for a grant of $2.3
million to fund 13 firefighters. If
approved, the additional staff
would bring the Westland roster
to 67, which would restore levels
reduced by funding cuts and attri-
tion, according to officials.
Reddy said that Wayne could
be in a better position to receive
the grant funding as it is a finan-
cially distressed community.
Currently, Wayne faces a $600,000
budget deficit with a looming
shortfall of $1.5 -$2 million pre-
dicted for the next budget cycle.
Westland, however, has a $5.5
million fund balance, which
could impact the decision on the
grants. Reddy said that the grant
would bring Westland up to the
staffing requirements of the
National FireProtectionAgency.
The grants are expected to be
announced in July.
The federal fundingwould pay
salaries of firefighters for two
years. One grant condition is a
guarantee of no department lay-
offs during the duration of the
grant, according to federal docu-
ments.
Wayne Mayor James Hawley
said the grant would be welcome
in Wayne where it would allow
the city to have two firefighters
on duty for each shift. He added
that the current overtime forced
on the 12 firefighters is a stress
factor in the department. He
added that the additional fire-
fighters could mean additional
revenue from patient transport,
which could be as much at
$650,000. He added that the fire
department is currently a $2.4
million annual expense in
Wayne.
Westland Mayor William R.
Wild presented his second con-
secutive three-year balanced
budget to members of the city
council last week.
Wild proposed the $62 mil-
lion budget, which includes a
$5.6 million fund balance by
June of next year, during an
evening study sessionMarch 30.
“As the budget process con-
tinues, we continue to look for
creativeways to add to the city's
budget surplus,” said Wild.
“Operational savings coupled
with increased revenues has
allowed us to add close to a half
milliondollars to our surplus.”
The proposed budget antici-
pates a 1.65 percent increase in
property tax revenue, the high-
est in seven years, along with
continued receipt of State
Economic Vitality Incentive
Program funding and a small
increase in State Constitutional
revenue sharing. Wild said the
current shared fire services
with Wayne and dispatch serv-
ices with Wayne, Inkster and
Garden City will continue to
help the city qualify for addi-
tional revenue sharing funds.
Staffing changes included in
the budget included additions
in the public safety department
included the hiring of four
additional police officers, par-
tially funded by a federal
C.O.P.S. grant and three fire
fighters.
“Balancing consecutive
multi-year budgets has been
possible because we drastically
changed the way Westland has
done business,” Wild said.
“This budget allows us to con-
servatively add additional pub-
lic safety employees and I want
to thank the city council,
employees, and the unions for
their hard work and commit-
ment to the city.
“Their efforts over the last
seven years have been remark-
able in many ways, leading us
out of the depths of what could
have been a debilitating reces-
sion,” addedWild.
The budget also includes
funding for a new fire rescue
vehicle and future renovations
to the Mike Modano Ice Arena
and the Westland Police
Department.
Westland residents who have cracked,
split or broken garbage containers sup-
plied by the city will have them replaced
at no charge.
Mayor William R. Wild said that the
companywhich suppliedmore than 25,000
garbage “toters” will be replacing all the
carts found to be defective. Wild said that
the company discovered that poor quality
resin was used in the manufacture of
some of the bins which resulted in the
defective toters. The company, Toter, LLC,
said the resin did not meet their company
quality control standards.
The new bins can be identified with an
R serial number, Wild said. All the bins or
toters came with a 10-year warranty, he
added.
The newbinswill arrive thismonth and
residents who may have a defective bin or
toter are asked to call the Westland
Department of Public Service at (734) 728-
1770 to request a replacement. City
employeeswill deliver the replacements.
Drill down
Cadets from the Wayne Memorial High School
Junior Officer Training Corps (JROTC) traveled to
Fort Knox, KY to participate in the Regional Drill
competition last month. The region consists of 209
schools in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Indiana, and
Tennessee. Once again the cadets demonstrated
their Wayne Pride, according to Steven E. La Haine,
First Sergeant (Ret.), US Army Senior Army
Instructor. La Haine said the Wayne students placed
as runners up in both the Academic and Exhibition
Drill Competitions. In the March 14 and 15 competi-
tion, cadets Doug Chuong, Briona Nelson, and
Maia Bowen all placed in the top 20 in the individual
drill competition against more than 800 other
cadets. Cadet Michael Alderman was also the indi-
vidual runner-up in the Academic Competition. The
group will now compete at the National
Championship at Louisville, KY this month.
