By By JOHN EBY / Niles Daily Star
NILES - A four-year proposal the City of Niles is offering Niles Township to maintain 24-hour police protection means hiring an additional nine officers at a cost of $492,920 this year and $2,189,355 over the life of the agreement.
Administration is projected to cost $90,000 each of the four years.
The nine would include eight police officers and one full-time investigator in the township.
Councilwoman Pat Gallagher asked what Niles Township spends currently.
Township Treasurer Jim Ringler gave a figure of $737,000.
The mayor asked Eull to "go ahead and submit the proposal to the township and continue working with them … as we move forward."
Councilman Scott Clark and McCauslin agreed the arrangement could be "mutually beneficial" to the city and the township.
Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey has also been negotiating to have his office contract with Niles Township to furnish police protection.
Township voters on Aug. 2, by about 100 votes, rejected a two-mill tax request to keep their police force alive.
The only other agenda item for the Committee of the Whole was reviewing drawings by Fiskars of St. Joseph for a one-story Chemical Bank Shoreline facility that would be built on the corner adjacent to the Niles Daily Star on city-owned lots on Main Street, between Fourth and Fifth streets.
That project will receive council consideration on its Aug. 22 agenda.
The Star building is owned by Leader Publications, with which the bank is working to slightly modify the footprint to share a driveway.
Pending council approval of the contractual agreement, the bank, which would have offices for 10 employees, could be under construction before winter.