By Judy Seifert (Contact / Staff Bio)
October 21, 2009 - 10:30 a.m. EST

WATERTOWN TOWNSHIP – Watertown Township Chief of Police Phil Millerov has been laid off, according to Supervisor Dan Quertermous. The reason behind the move is pretty straightforward - a tightened budget, explained the township’s treasurer, Patricia Frenzel.

“We’re actually going month to month with Phil,” Frenzel said. “State revenue money is coming in, but it’s a lot less than we anticipated. We knew there would be less, we just were not sure by how much.”

The layoff could be for only 30 days or up to 60 days; Quertermous said it might be until March.

“All we know is that we don’t know how much money is coming so we’ve made many budget cuts. It’s just the reality of the times,” he said.

Frenzel said the layoff doesn’t begin until Nov. 1. The savings to the township is approximately $15,000.

“We don’t look at it as a savings, we need the police department,” she added. “Right now, though, it doesn’t look like we’ll have enough money to keep things going. That’s why the decision was made to re-visit this on a monthly basis.”

During that time, other police departments and the Tuscola County Sheriff’s Department will assist in patrolling the township and responding to 911 calls.