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<\/p>\nPONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) \u2014 The 7 Investigators were the first to tell you about the fight for transparency by some local leaders, as they demand information from Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter and the Oakland County Board of Commissioners.<\/p>\n
Watch Heather Catallo’s video report: <\/p>\n
Orion Twp. leaders take fight for transparency to Board of Commissioners meeting<\/p>\n
On Wednesday night, that fight was on full display at a very heated commission meeting. Orion Township\u2019s fight for information was one of several hot topics on the agenda that had a huge crowd of Oakland County residents pushing back against the commission.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m asking every single one of you \u2013 do you have the information?\u201d asked Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett during the Oakland County commission meeting Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
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WXYZ-TV<\/p>\n
Barnett is once again taking his pleas for information to public comment at a public meeting; it\u2019s the 9th time he says he\u2019s had to do that in the last year.<\/p>\n
Barnett told the Commissioners that he\u2019s still trying to get information about how much Orion Township\u2019s Sheriff\u2019s contracts will cost his residents in the future.<\/p>\n
Now, his fellow elected Orion Township leaders are speaking out as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot responsibly move forward or communicate honestly with our residents without complete and accurate information,\u201d said Orion Township Trustee Jack Lovat.<\/p>\n
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WXYZ-TV<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething needs to change. I didn\u2019t want to be here tonight, and I suspect the rest of my colleagues didn\u2019t want to be here tonight. But I\u2019m here because I want to effectively serve my residents, and so should you, because they are your residents too,\u201d said Orion Township Trustee Carrie Hilgendorf.<\/p>\n
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WXYZ-TV<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a small group takes control and doesn\u2019t allow the input of those who are elected, you are denying our residents their rights, and it\u2019s got to stop,\u201d said Orion Township Trustee Matt Pfeiffer.<\/p>\n
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WXYZ-TV<\/p>\n
Barnett says after Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter\u2019s financial team recommended massive rate increases for the 12 communities who contract with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office for police services, local leaders were promised updated rate information by the end of 2025. Barnett says the communities love the services the sheriff\u2019s office provides, and they want to pay their full share, but he says the county\u2019s numbers do not add up.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long have you been asking for a meeting with Executive Coulter?\u201d asked Catallo.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince November of 2024, when this first happened,\u201d said Barnett, and provided multiple text messages with Executive Coulter to back that up.<\/p>\n
Barnett says he\u2019s asked Coulter at least 8 times for a meeting to get the actual costs for policing.<\/p>\n
After the supervisor had to send a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the county for the information, Barnett says Coulter canceled a meeting he had finally scheduled for Tuesday. Barnett said he felt threatened after Coulter told him he could only have the meeting if he withdrew his public records request.<\/p>\n
PREVIOUS REPORT: Official says Oakland County leaders refuse to meet on new sheriff contracts<\/p>\n
Official says Oakland County leaders refuse to meet on new sheriff contracts<\/p>\n
Executive Coulter\u2019s Communications Director Teresa Recinto released this statement to the 7 Investigators:<\/p>\n
Oakland County values its relationship with Orion Township, including its longstanding contractual arrangement for the Oakland County Sheriff\u2019s Office to provide law enforcement services to keep the township\u2019s residents safe. “After a thorough review of prior contracts between the county and communities for law enforcement services provided by the Oakland County Sheriff\u2019s Office, the county determined that the rates that had been paid by those communities were lower than the county\u2019s costs for providing the services. This meant that in effect, communities with their own police departments were subsidizing costs for those which contract with the county those services. In 2024, the county Board of Commissioners adopted new rates to more closely align with anticipated costs.<\/p>\n
The County Executive never threatened Supervisor Barnett. He offered to provide the contractual rate information in either a meeting or a FOIA request and the supervisor chose FOIA, as is his right. Either way, the county has offered him the opportunity to discuss the information provided once he has reviewed it. While the supervisor continues to make baseless accusations, the county stands ready to provide him with all the financial information used to help set the rates.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sure feels like gotcha politics. And the way this meeting is being run, I don\u2019t know what version of the Open Meetings Act you guys follow but it\u2019s certainly different than the one we do,\u201d said Barnett. \u201cPlease do your jobs \u2013 demand this information.\u201d<\/p>\n
Orion Township needs that information by early May so they can prepare for their millage request.<\/p>\n