Lambka named Raisin Twp. Public Safety Advisor

Even though Raisin Township Board of Trustees agreed to retain former Public Safety Director Scott Lambka as a consultant as the township decides what to do with the Public Safety Department going forward, Lambka’s resignation has left the chain of command incomplete. At a special meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 17, township trustees voted unanimously to appoint Lambka as the Public Safety Advisor in the interim while the board discusses what it is going to do with the role and the department.Township Supervisor Jay Cavanaugh was absent while trustee Dale Mitchell showed up late to the meeting, after the vote.During a special meeting on Thursday, Sept 11, trustees voted to hire Lambka in a consulting capacity, leaving the position vacant.“What if we don’t fill it for 110 days?” asked Trustee Larry Crittenden. “What is the legality there? Does it have to be filled? Why can’t we just leave it vacant until someone tells us?”Raisin Township Interim Supt. Jim Palmer suggested placing Lambka in the Public Safety Advisor position. “Seeing as how we are a charter township, we’re required to have a public safety director, which is the current system we’re under,” said Palmer. “So we need an interim person to do that.”Crittenden suggested placing police department Clerk Charity Wright in the role. However, the person selected to fill the position has to be qualified in both police and fire duties, which Wright is not. Trustee Debra Brousseau suggested giving Assistant Police Chief Sgt. Kevin Grayer the position. Brousseau didn’t think it was right to give the position and authority back to Lambka after he had resigned. “I can’t see putting Scott [Lambka] back in the same position with the same authority,” said Brousseau. “It just doesn’t seem right to me. The person just resigned from this position. And we accepted his resignation. Now we’re going to turn around and put him right back in that same position as an interim.”“It’s something that happens,” said Palmer. “And it’s a smart move to do because of the experience that is already there. We’re looking to make this transition smooth. Giving them the same knowledge and authority would probably be a good thing to do while we’re training someone else to take that place.”Both Crittenden and Grayer felt that this matter had already been resolved at the last meeting. “My understanding was we were going to bring him back as interim to do this transition,” Grayer said. “I don’t know what’s changed between last week and here. It’s like throwing a dart when there’s no board there. Are we in agreement that Scott needs to do this or not?”“I thought when we left last week it was vacant,” Crittenden said. “We had a consultant hired, we were going to start making a decision. I know we’re functioning as well as we can with the loss of Scott [Lambka]. I have great confidence in [Assistant Fire Chief] Eddie [Mathis], [Assistant Fire Chief] Jake [Warner], Kevin, Charity, Jim and this board.” To Trustee and Township Clerk Betty Holdridge, appointing Lambka was the right move.“I think he absolutely needs to do the transitional period,” said Holdridge “It would just make sense to me that he stay with that position until the end of the year. What difference does it make what we call him? He’s still doing the same job that he would have been regardless of the title you give it.”Grayer clarified what Lambka would be doing upon his consulting period with the township, assuring the board that Lambka would not be handling the administrative duties for the departments.“Scott’s not coming back to look at being in charge overt public safety. All he wants to come back to do is the transition. As for as administrative portion of it, myself and chief Mathis and chief Warner, we are running pretty much what we need to do to keep this going.”Brousseau still felt bringing Lambka into a similar position in the department was not right, questioning the amount of authority he would now have with the possibility of being an interim Public Safety Advisor. “A consultant usually does not have the authority a Public Safety Director would have,” said Brousseau.“All these departments have to respond to me,” said Palmer. “If we have a Public Safety Advisor, that person has to respond to me.”Once the board unanimously approved appointing Lambka to the Public Safety Advisor’s position, they tackled clarifying how much Lambka would be receiving along with what insurance he would be getting. According to Palmer, there is $13,846 remaining in the 2014 budget for the Public Safety Director position starting on October 1. Currently, Lambka is paid, with insurance through the end of September due to vacation. Lambka will receive $6,921 for his Public Safety Advisor role. At the end of the month, Lambka also loses his health insurance. While the board voted last week to simply continue his insurance, Holdridge learned that wasn’t a possibility. They would be able to provide him with gap coverage at approximately $400 a month. Lambka would pay his portion while the township pays its. The insurance is not included in his wages because it comes from a different line item in the budget. The insurance is only if Lambka cannot secure his own after the end of the month and will only be available until he signs up for his own coverage. The remaining $6,925 will still be split amongst Grayer, Wright and the fire department, which will go to Mathis and Warner. Each will receive $2,308 starting October 1 until the end of the year. “I’m not sure it’s our place to provide that insurance for somebody we bring in for consulting purposes for a couple of months,” said Brousseau. “But I am not against it.”The board unanimously approved providing Lambka with insurance if he is unable to secure his own. In other business, the board:•Approved the accepting of Public Act 116, Farmland Preservation.

Tecumseh Herald

 

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