The city of Saline and Saline Area Fire Department voice support for House Bill 4360

Changing some wording in a section of legislation could go a long way for the communities covered by the Saline Area Fire Department, so much so that Saline Mayor and SAFD Fire Chief Jason Sperle went to Lansing recently to voice their support for House Bill 4360.

In a Facebook post on March 6, Marl gave an update as to what they were doing:

Tuesday was a busy and productive day -

We so appreciate our friend, State Representative Felicia Brabec, for introducing & advocating for HB 4360 - a bill to amend the enabling act for governmental authorities, thus empowering local units of government and fire departments to more effectively meet the needs of the residents they serve.

Testimony before the Senate Local Government Committee could not have gone better. In addition to Saline, statements of support were provided by municipal officials from the greater Fennville community, Michigan Municipal League, and the Michigan Townships Association.

We look forward to a committee vote in the coming weeks, and approval by the full Senate in the very near future.

Supporting House Bill 4360. Saline Mayor Brian Marl (left), State Representative Felicia Brabec and Saline Area Fire Chief Jason Sperle. photo courtesy of Mayor Brian Marl's Facebook page

The Sun Times News followed up with Marl and Sperle to ask them about this.

In explaining the bill and why they are in support, Sperle said currently “the Saline Area Fire Department is governed by an interlocal agreement. Due to the fact that we don’t cover the ‘total’ territory of York Township, we are not able to become an Authority like many other regional fire departments in the state.”

“So, what that means is that the Saline Area Fire Department is not able to go for millages or bonds based on the current law,” Sperle said. “House Bill 4360 would remove the word ‘total’ from the language so that municipalities could share services.”

The Saline Area Fire Department’s mission statement states it provides “fire suppression, rescue, and fire prevention to the citizens of Saline, Saline Township, York Township, and Lodi Township. To achieve this mission, the department’s responsibility is to preserve and protect life and property from fire and other catastrophes, and to provide education and training to the public in the area of fire prevention.”

Sperle said many townships and cities are cut off by lakes, highways, railroad tracks, or rivers, so removing the word “total” would allow these types of locations to receive help from neighboring municipalities without having to tax the entire municipality for just a portion to be covered.”

He said York Township is served by two area fire departments because the stations flank the north and south boarders of York Township.

“But because the services are split by two departments neither department is permitted by law to create an authority, like many other departments in the state,” according to Sperle.

He said, “Basically, changing this law would take power away from the state and back to local municipalities.”

The following is Marl’s testimony given before the Senate Local Government Committee:

Chairwoman Klinefelt, Minority Vice Chair, members of the committee - I appreciate your time this afternoon.

Let me begin by thanking our former State Representative, Donna Lasinski, for introducing this legislation in 2022, and Representative Brabec for her subsequent leadership on this issue, along with her continued work and advocacy on behalf of the residents of Washtenaw County.

Members of the committee, I have had the privilege and honor of serving as Mayor of the great City of Saline since January 2013 – I am in the early months of my 12th year. Concurrent to my tenure as Mayor, I have also served as Chair of the Saline Fire Board for more than a decade.

The Saline Area Fire Department has a rich history of effectively serving, and meeting the needs of the broader Saline community - this would include the City of Saline, Saline Township, Lodi Township and the northern half of York Charter Township.

The fire board, the department's governing entity, is composed of 9 voting members - a bipartisan group - in fact, I would be the only self identified Democrat in the bunch.

Our board works well together, and we put our personal and political interests aside for the betterment of the Saline community.

Additionally, we operate under a intergovernmental agreement developed and approved in the late 1970's - it was a very innovative and progressive concept back in its day.

However, with the passage of time, said agreement, our current funding model, and governing structure are beginning to show cracks and deficiencies - a new course must be chartered for our local fire department, not only to meet the needs of current residents, but also future Salinians, as ours is a very attractive community, which will likely incur rather significant growth in the ensuing decades.

Accordingly, the issue at hand, the proposed legislation, is very simple - changing the wording in existing statute to allow for the creation of authorities, and the ability to service only a portion of a municipality - the genesis, is that York Charter Township is sandwiched perfectly between the City of Saline and the City of Milan - those residents benefit from the northern section being serviced by Saline Fire, the southern portion by the Milan Area Fire Department.

As you’re likely aware, this legislation previously passed the Michigan State House of Representatives with broad and overwhelming bipartisan support.

Further, if this legislation were to be signed into law, it wouldn't just help the Saline area, but likely enumerable communities and regions throughout our state, who, in the future, may consider the creation of authorities in order to provide basic, fundamental public safety services for their respective residents.

Finally, as a matter of principle, I am a firm believer that state government should actively and aggressively consider policies and initiatives that empower local units of government - i.e., make it easier for us to structure & deliver services, while also funding these vital programs that all our citizens rely upon.

Thank you again for your time this afternoon, and I welcome any questions or thoughts you may have - thank you madam Chair.