In the July edition of the Put-in-Bay Gazette, there is a letter to the editor regarding transparency in the Township’s decision to hire the Ottawa County Sheriff instead of the Village of Put-in-Bay for police services. While the township meetings are open to the public, we would like to explain, in depth, to residents why this decision was made. 

The previous contract with the Village of Put-in-Bay was approximately 350,000.00. During this contract, the Village breached the contract several times by not responding to emergency calls in the Township and by not providing officers for Middle Bass. Each time the Mayor was called directly as was the Chief of Police with no solution. 

When negotiating a new contract, the Trustees specifically asked the Chief of Police as well as the Mayor of the Village of Put-in-Bay, if they felt they could provide police services to the Township. Both stated within public Township meetings that they did not feel that the Village could adequately police the Township. 

The new proposed contract did not state a dollar amount for what police services would cost, instead, it stated that the cost would be percentage based. The Village asked the Township to pay 55% of its police budget which at the time was estimated to be around $900,000.00. In addition, the Township would be required to pay 50% of a new cruiser. One of most concerning parts of the contract was Section Three – Insurance and Liability. Under the proposed contract, the Township would be required to pay a $15,000 deductible for any claim within the Township. In addition to the deductible, the Township would be liable for up to $2,000,000 per fiscal year for any lawsuits filed against the Village of Put-in-Bay Police for services rendered within the Township.  

We consulted with our insurance and lawyer regarding these terms. We were advised that a percentage based contract opened us up to excessive liability and that the Township’s insurance rates would be dramatically higher because of this. We were also advised that this contract could put the Township in a position that could bankrupt it. 

The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office provided the Township with a contract that could go up to $750,000. They also assumed all liability in the case of lawsuits. The Sheriff's Office also worked with the County Commissioners to get an $800,000 radio repeater installed at no cost to residents to make communications better between Fire, EMS, Village Police, and the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office. It is worth noting that the annual budget for the Sheriff’s Office has not reached the $750,000 limit, even with the purchase of new vehicles and equipment. 

With all this in mind, the Township Trustees felt that a change to the Sheriff’s Office was necessary to be able to provide police services to its residents. For future reference, the Township Board of Trustees meet every month and the meetings are always open to the public.