LIVONIA, Mich. (WXYZ) — Livonia City Council is delaying a decision on the location and funding for a new police headquarters, sending the matter back to committee for further discussion.
The debate, which first began after last year’s failed $150 million bond proposal, is now on hold.
Watch Christiana Ford's video report below:
"It's a slowdown. It's a pause," Livonia Council President Kayleigh Reid said.
Reid says the incoming council was eager to learn what could be done to address what they feel is a need for a new police home.
"It's been a hectic four months of learning all about the police station and we thought we were ready to vote on a site and on funding, but we weren't quite ready," Reid said.
Residents have been pushing for more transparency and showing up at meetings to voice their opinions. Some expressed concerns about the cost and building on an unregulated wetland. For Livonia resident Barb DeLuca, the primary concern was building too close to her neighborhood on Brookfield and removing trees.
Plans have since adjusted to remove the option of having an entrance and exit Brookfield.
"I think that most of us that were there regarding the location of the police station were really happy to hear that. It sounded like the council members listened to it," DeLuca said.
Previous coverage: Livonia residents push for transparency in police headquarters debate
Reid said the council is listening to the community and plans to wait until after the upcoming public safety millage renewal vote in August.
"It's not a tax increase, but it is over $9 million that funds our first responders, first responders and our firehouses. So it's not something we want to be tied together. There are two things can be true at once: that we need a new police station and we also need to fund our first responders. So we kind of want to separate the issues a little bit because the mill renewal is extremely important. It's a lot of money in our budget and if it doesn't pass we're not going to have as safe of a city," Reid said.
Previous report: Livonia officials warn a millage failure could lead to the loss of dozens of first responders
Reid also said the current process of meeting with the administration individually was not working, so they wanted to prioritize bringing the conversation into a larger setting where all council members and the public could participate.
DeLuca said delaying the police station decision was the right call.
"I was going to vote for the operational millage and I was always going to be against and fight as hard as I could with other neighbors against the building of the police station here, which means taking down the woods," DeLuca said.
However, Livonia resident Christopher Martin is part of a group that still does not trust city leadership regarding the project.
"It is tabled, but this is just smoke and mirrors," Martin said. "I'm in favor of revamping the police station that we currently have, and I don't want to spend any taxpayer money, including my own, for some frills and some new building."
Previous coverage: Livonia considers $56.9M police station after $150M bond proposal fails last November
Livonia resident Brian Meagher feels the opposite. He would have preferred no delay and is hopeful planning starts to make progress soon.
"From conversations that I've had with people, I think in Livonia, there's a group of 60 to 80 people that show up to council meetings and have a very loud voice, but I don't feel like it speaks for the whole of people who are younger and want Livonia to be a safe community," Meagher said. "A lot of people that I talked to really want the investment of having a new police station and having public safety be a top priority for investment in Livonia.”
The committee will host public meetings over the summer to continue the conversation. Reid says that will happen after a site visit with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy scheduled for the last week in April.
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