By By JAMES COLLINS / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- Michigan Department of Management and Budget Director Mitch Irwin paid a visit to the Niles Law Enforcement Complex Tuesday to explore the benefits of the shared facility.
After receiving a tour of the complex from Michigan State Police Sgt. Mike Dawson, Irwin said he was impressed with the efficiency of the facility.
His department is currently looking at many cost-cutting options in the state and one of the possibilities is to create more shared centers, like the one in Niles.
He said his department is currently exploring this type of building for two or three different communities in the state because of the efficiency it provides both in terms of cost and quality of service.
He received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback and said the visit gave him some good insight into what makes the concept work.
Prior to his visit to the Niles Law Enforcement Complex, Irwin was in Benton Harbor attending a state Business Opportunity Forum, which was held to inform potential vendors of possible business opportunities with the State of Michigan.
He said the idea behind the forums, which are being held across the state, is to introduce participants to the state's competitive bid process and potential procurement opportunities.
Irwin said these opportunities are being brought to the public's attention as part of Gov. Granholm's initiative to cut costs and improve services.
Irwin also discussed the benefits of Michigan's MiDEAL program, which allows municipalities, school districts, colleges and universities and non-profit hospitals to buy certain goods and services from state contracts.
The state purchases a wide variety of products including items like road salt, office supplies and vehicles, Irwin said.
More information is available on these business opportunities with the State of Michigan at the following websites: www.michigan.gov/doingbusiness and www.michigan.gov/mideal.