As hundreds of cyclists poured through the Summit City, there was hope that the event would not only bring some exercise and entertainment to the participants but hopefully a changed view of the community in general.FORT WAYNE – Mayor Tom Henry is ending the nearly six-year agreement with Allen County to share in the costs of the local homeland security department.
Henry sent a letter dated Thursday to the county commissioners stating the city wants to end the agreement in 60 days – the minimum notice under the agreement for dissolution.
“While the past six years have been a valuable experiment, with the challenges of budgetary constraints, the city must work to find more effective service solutions for its residents,” Henry wrote.
On Saturday, Henry said the decision was made to cut costs from the city budget, but he said it should not alter the role of the department or its staffing.
The letter came as a surprise to County Commissioner Nelson Peters, who said he believed the joint agreement was working well for both parties.
“We certainly have gotten no feedback to the contrary,” he said.
Bernie Beier, director of the joint department, also said Saturday he had not heard of the city’s plans to end the agreement. He said he talked a few weeks ago with the mayor on where his department should be located, but ending the agreement was never mentioned. Beier was unsure whether he would still have a job after the dissolution.
Henry said Beier’s job would not be affected by the change, other than he would become a county employee with county benefits. Henry said he worked with Commissioner Therese Brown on the agreement. Brown could not be reached for comment Saturday afternoon.
The joint agreement was signed on Feb. 15, 2006, after years of work to merge separate city and county security departments and was touted as a model for the state by then-Mayor Graham Richard. Henry, however, called the relationship a special circumstance that wasn’t necessary. He noted other counties handle emergency management duties for the county and municipalities and that Fort Wayne is a part of Allen County.
“No other city has a homeland security director,” Henry said. “The city is going to save money. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Henry said he would be willing to reimburse the county for any special expenses made on behalf of Fort Wayne.
The department was financed by the previous county emergency management budget and the city’s homeland security budget. The city’s budget includes Beier’s $89,309 salary and vehicle, while the county paid for the two other department employees. Peters said this seemed like a fair deal for both sides. Federal homeland security money reimbursed about half the costs for both governments.
State Sen. Tom Wyss, R-Fort Wayne, said the mayor’s action made him a little nervous because of the past effort to merge the departments. Having a joint department was a critical step, he said, because it avoided conflicts between political parties and between rural and urban areas.
“It avoided any of the political problems you could have,” he said.
In his letter, Henry said he would be willing to discuss a division of the department’s assets and other issues but made it clear he wants to end the agreement.
“For both of us, public safety is an absolute priority, but the duality of this position no longer serves the community in the most useful way,” he wrote.
