Community invited to April 29 public forum
IMLAY CITY — Residents will have the chance to share their thoughts on the future of the Imlay City Police Department on Thursday, April 29.
At 6 p.m. on that date, Imlay City officials will host a community forum at the Eastern Michigan State Fairgrounds about possibly disbanding the Imlay City Police Dept. and contract with the Lapeer County Sheriff’s Department.
Mayor Joi Kempf announced the forum on the city commission’s meeting on April 20.
At that meeting, city officials were again deluged with complaints and criticisms from residents in attendance.
Two weeks earlier on April 6, dozens of residents voiced similar complaints regarding the city’s plans to possibly dissolve the police department.
Both Imlay City Manager Craig Horton and Mayor Joi Kempf have suggested that contracting with the Sheriff’s Department could offer city residents better police coverage at less cost.
Currently, the police department’s costs are about $1.3 million of the city’s proposed $7.2 million budget for 2021-2022.
The city’s contract with the Imlay City Police Dept. expires on June 30, 2021.
As a result of the forum announcement, plans to hold a rally in support of Imlay City officers have been accelerated. Organizers have pushed up the date of the event from May 1 to this Saturday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tom Wearing started at the Tri-City Times in 1989, covering the Village of Capac as a beat reporter. He later served stints as assistant editor and editor. Today, he covers Imlay City and Almont as a staff writer. He enjoys music and plays drums and sings with various musical groups in the Detroit Metropolitan area.
