Continued Concerns Over Fate Of Pinckney Police Department
May 12, 2025

Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com
The Pinckney Village Council meets tonight, with residents expected to again weigh-in on the possibility of eliminating the police department.
Both the budget and master plan update process are underway in the Village.
At last week’s Planning Commission meeting, Chair Bree Kraut addressed a master plan survey that went out and community chatter about the police department during reports.
Kraut said they worked as a group on the questionnaire that was sent out, and it was a group effort to formulate questions. She said a lot of people have been asking why the police department was included, and that’s because there’s a section in the master plan called “facility and services”. She noted the fire service was also included in the survey.
Kraut went on to say that a lot of comments on Facebook were “concerning and embarrassing and….false news”. She said the point of the survey is just to gather information for the master plan – adding she wasn’t sure where all the misconception was coming from and reminded that meetings are open to the public.
The survey will be open until the end of May to encourage more responses. As of last week’s meeting, Kraut reported there were 60 responses - which was low considering the amount of people it’s available to was over 1,000.
Some of the survey questions ask how satisfied people are with current police coverage, how important is it to have 24-7 coverage, and would people be willing to support a tax increase to maintain that level of service.
A link to the master plan questionnaire is provided, as well as a previous story with the police chief.
Concerns about the fate of the police department came directly from the department, and the Village has not issued any formal statement either way on the topic.
Some village officials have stated the department accounts for half of the budget and it’s the biggest area of savings, versus a tax hike.
The following is a portion of a post on the Pinckney Police Facebook page in late April:
“The questions in the recent survey that went out with the newsletter are seriously slanted toward eliminating your police department. Will the police budget increase this next fiscal year? Yes, it will but everything does and always has. We aren't reckless with your money in the PD. We only purchase what we need. When we replace equipment, such as cars, we sell them and return your money to the general fund. If you've enjoyed 24/7/365 police coverage of our great town, let the village president know as well as the council.”
Also at last week’s meeting, the Commission was questioned about the master plan update.
Former Village President Linda Lavey spoke during call to the public to say she was puzzled as to why the master plan update was being put out to bid, and couldn’t imagine it would be cheaper than utilizing the current village planner.
Lavey said she realizes they want changes in the plan but doesn’t understand why they wouldn’t want the current planner to do it, saying “it’s right there in the name – she’s the planner – she does master plans, so if you think you’re looking for a professional to a master plan, we already have one”. Lavey said if they want to go out to bid, it could be cheaper but doubtful.
Kraut responded to say that the current planner will be given the option to present like everybody else.
Council meets at 7pm tonight at Village Hall.
Meanwhile, some residents appear to be mobilizing in support of the police department ahead of tonight’s meeting.
The following message was provided to WHMI anonymously:
"🚨 Attention Pinckney Residents:
Our Village President, Jeffrey Buerman, just gave himself a $50,000 raise, moving his position from part-time to full-time - taking the money from our Police Department's budget.
He also tried to pressure the Village Treasurer into "cooking the books" to falsely show the Village had $300,000 less cash on hand than we really do, trying to create a fake budget crisis. Our Village Treasurer resigned as a result of his relentless pressure!
Now, he's claiming we have no choice but to eliminate our Police Department, which protects us 24/7/365, and replace it with limited Sheriff's Department coverage that we would have to contract and pay for.
👉 This would mean much longer response times and put our safety at risk.
We have to act!
Call Jeffrey Buerman at 734-878-6206 and show up at the Council meeting on Monday, May 12th at 7 PM and let the Village Council know you oppose shutting down our police department.
Let's stand together and stop him from taking away our police protection!"
Requests for comment have been placed with Village President Jeff Buerman.
Below is a portion of minutes from the April 28th meeting and a speech by Buerman:
"Now, let's address the white elephant in the room. Yes, we did send out a survey asking about police coverage. We asked our tax-paying citizens whether they would be willing to pay more to maintain our own 24-hour police department - or whether they might be willing to consider other options, like contracting services with a neighboring department to lower costs. Let me be clear: his was a fact-finding mission. Nothing more. No decisions have been made. No cuts have been planned. No actions have been taken. As your Village President, and as a council, we have a responsibility to our taxpayers - to every citizen - to explain how their money is spent. It is our job to lay every option on the table. We would not be doing our duty - legally, financially, or morally - if we didn't. We could take the easy road, like past administrations did - ignore hard conversations, pretend problems don't exist, and kick the can down the road until it's too late and the choices are made for us. But we won't. Not on my watch. We are going to have honest conversations - even when they're hard. We are going to look at every option. Not because we're getting rid of our police. Not because we're cutting corners… …because when the time comes - and it will come - we need to be ready. We need to be able to give our residents all the facts, all the information they need to make a smart, informed decision. And let me speak directly for a moment: Chief Garrison - instead of putting fear into the community, I need you to be part of the solution. Start finding ways to make our police department work financially. Start helping us figure out how we continue to provide the excellent service you and your officers are known for, while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. We don't need fear - we need solutions. When your department is over 50% of our total Village budget, we need your help and support to come up with ideas. The answer can't always be "just raise taxes." We need innovation, creativity, and teamwork- because that's how we survive and that's how we thrive. And we also need to look seriously at new ways to bring more revenue into this Village. All options are on the table - even considering whether it's time for Pinckney to become a Home Rule City. We owe it to the people to consider every possibility that could strengthen our financial future. And one more thing: We cannot - and will not - be intimidated by "keyboard warriors" when it comes time to make the tough decisions. Social media critics don't carry the weight of facts, hard work, or real responsibility. We answer to the voters - the citizens who live here, pay taxes here, raise families here - not to anonymous posters hiding behind a screen. And let me tell you this: The final decision will not be made by me. It will not be made by this council. It will be made by the good citizens of Pinckney -in a vote - in November 2026. "