West Central Michigan News

Rep. VanderWall has moved in favor of a bipartisan initiative aimed at providing sustained financial support to local law enforcement and violence prevention projects in Michigan. The proposal intends to bolster public safety across various counties, including Manistee, Mason, Muskegon, and Oceana.

Central to this plan is the establishment of the Public Safety and Violence Prevention Trust Fund, which aims to aid local police departments and violence prevention schemes. The initiative comes amid growing public safety difficulties in Michigan, a state housing four of the 20 most violent cities nationwide and grappling with police department challenges such as staffing shortages and obsolete equipment.

House Bills 4260-61 propose to allocate $115 million annually from sales tax revenue, with $72 million specifically directed to cities, villages, and townships based on their recorded violent crime rates over the past three years. This funding is strictly designated for enhancing public safety, crime investigation, and violence prevention, without replacing any existing local allocations.

Furthermore, the plan dedicates $40 million to support county sheriff’s offices, proportioned according to each county’s police force size. In cases where counties supply local police services for townships, those townships' funding shares would be redirected to the sheriff’s office.

Rep. VanderWall's district anticipates funding increments for local police, including:

- Manistee County: Up to $266,476.33

- Mason County: Up to $266,476.33

- Muskegon County: Up to $513,918.63

- Oceana County: Up to $199,857.24

Specific townships and police departments within these counties are set to receive varying amounts under the plan, aligning financial resources with identified needs.

"House Bills 4260-61 bring much-needed financial support to local law enforcement," said Representative VanderWall, emphasizing the importance of the initiative in addressing the state's public safety concerns.