wsbt.com

On Monday, we first told you Benton Harbor's Emergency Financial Manager is considering disbanding the city's police department because the city is broke.

That's one of four options Joe Harris is looking at to dig the city out of more than $2 million of debt.

Since 2001, the sheriff's department has lost 16 deputies due to budget cuts, so their staffing is tight.

But Sheriff Paul Bailey says he's working on a plan to step in and help Benton Harbor if it comes down to that.

"I can tell you right now that the Benton Harbor residents will not go without police protection," assured Bailey.

Bailey learned from news reports the City of Benton Harbor may lose their police department because of major financial woes.

He called Benton Harbor's Emergency City Manager, Joe Harris, mulitple times to discuss the issue, left several messages, but never heard back.

"I wish they would have called. We could have started talking way ahead of time," Bailey said.

Nonetheless, Bailey is making arrangements to take over patrolling the city if needed and he's asked Michigan State Police to help.

"We're going to get together and look at sharing the day shift or the midnight shift."

And the Benton Harbor Police Department is one of the busiest in the county.

Officers respond to more than 1,000 calls a month. They cover a 4.3 square mile area.

In comparison, the neighboring Benton Township police respond to around the same number of calls but are responsible for more than 36 square miles.

Benton Harbor has 14 full-time patrol officers, not including the director and assistant director, and the department employs 13 part-timers.

All at a cost of around $2 million.

Benton Harbor's emergency financial manager put the department on the chopping block after voters recently rejected two millage renewals.

Joe Harris and Public Safety Director Roger Lange met with the State Treasury Department Tuesday to find out about getting financial help pay for public services and to pay off their debt.  But State Representative Al Pscholka says it's unlikely the state would approve a loan if the city has no income coming in to pay it back.

"If they believe the state of Michigan is going to come to their rescue and bail them out, that's not going to happen," stressed Pscholka.

Pscholka is working on creating a new EFM bill that would allow cities in financial distress, like Benton Harbor, to file for bankruptcy.

"It's gotta be an option because the residents said they're not interested in paying the bills," Pscholka said.

If Harris chooses the bankruptcy option, he has to make a request to the state Emergency Loan Board which is made up of 3 state officials. They have 60 days to deny or approve it.

Pscholka says under bankruptcy, a federal judge would be put in charge, then likely start selling off any of the city's assets to pay outstanding debts, then dissolve the city and break up the land, possibly giving it to surrounding municipalities.

Harris says he'll make a decision on what he plans to do by the end of the week.

Benton Harbor has requested a $3 million emergency loan from the Treasury Department.

A Treasury Department spokesman told WSBT Tuesday the request is still pending.

The city currently has more than $1.2 million owed to city vendors, which Harris says cannot be paid.