Frankenmuth

4 Building Bridges, Not Barriers The Importance of Open Dialogue By Bridget Smith, City Manager, City of Frankennmuth It's not uncommon for government offices to receive anonymous letters. During my time at the City, which is eight years this month, I've received a handful of them. This week, I received a very detailed letter, and this time, the tone was very angry. The writer said they spoke on behalf of a group of residents and shared a list of complaints. Some items were things that I think the City might be able to handle, some were beyond the City's control, and some were just untrue. But because they didn't leave their name, there's no way to share the information. When people send anonymous letters, dismissing their concerns is easy because the conversation is one-sided. But the more I thought about the letter, the more critical I realized it is to use this anonymous letter as a way to start a broader discussion – if not with the writer, then with the community. Whether it is an unsigned letter or an online post, being anonymous makes meaningful change and real conversations difficult, if not impossible. It also perpetuates stereotypes and rumors by not really getting to the heart of the matter. Do I think, in this case, the letter writer was upset about vegetation making clear vision difficult at intersections? Yes, but the length of the letter and its tone tell me there are bigger issues. Most of all, I think anonymous letters miss the point of living in a small town. We really are here to answer your questions. We aren't big government. We consider working for the City to be a public service job. We see each other in the store, on the street, at church. We should be comfortable enough to ask questions. I know you won't like all of our answers, but we need to be willing to have a reasonable conversation so that instead of being angry, we can find something, even just one thing, to agree upon. So, to the person or group who wrote the letter, I hope you see this and consider if there could be some good from a conversation. Feel free to call or stop in. To everyone else, I hope that when something bothers you about the city or if you think of a way to make it better or different, or something frustrates you, don't wait. Stop in. See us. Frankenmuth is what it is because of the community, and we are better together. All police agencies in Saginaw County are centrally dispatched through Saginaw County 911, located in downtown Saginaw. As of August 27, residents can call 989-797-4580 for non-emergencies, which will be managed by Aurelian, an Artificial Intelligence System (AIS). We strongly encourage residents to call 911 for any situation that requires or may require an emergency response. If a caller uses the non-emergency line for an urgent situation, Aurelian's AI is designed to detect urgency and transfer the call to a dispatcher when necessary. OVERVIEW OF AURELIAN SOFTWARE Aurelian uses AI to assess and route calls effectively, prioritizing emergency calls and reducing dispatchers' workload. It interacts with callers to gather essential information before routing, helping allocate resources where they're needed most. KEY FEATURES Caller Identification: Aurelian identifies caller intent based on input. Streamlined Routing: Non-emergency calls are directed to the appropriate department without delay. AI Interaction: The system gathers necessary information from callers to expedite routing, minimizing time spent by dispatchers on routine calls. Remember, 911 is the correct number for all emergencies or potential emergencies to ensure the quickest, most effective response. The non-emergency line is for general inquiries and routine matters. When in doubt, call 911. EMERGENCY VS. NON-EMERGENCY CALLS By Don Mawer, Chief of Police, City of Frankenmuth

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