Budget 2018 to go on display soon
ALPENA — Alpena County is going to begin 2018 with a budget deficit of about $566,336, but over the course of the year, it is expected to reduce the deficit, just as it has the last several years.
At Wednesday’s finance committee meeting treasurer Kim Ludlow said the expected revenue is about $8.8 million, but projected expenses will be $9.4 million. She said there are several factors which will help to bring the deficit down, including spending less than what is anticipated, or revenue being higher than expected. Ludlow said the deficit looks bad, but by the end of the next year, things are likely to level out.
“It looks kind of scary but I think a lot of it will be made up as we move through the 2018 year,” she said. “We maybe won’t have a surplus like we did the last few years, but we should break about even.”
In years past the commissioners have selected to take money from proceeds from the county’s tax revolving fund to reduce the deficit. From 2005 through 2015 the county utilized 100 percent of the proceeds from the fund to stabilize the budget. In 2016 it used 90 percent. For next year the county is only using 50 percent.
“It is going to equate to a little more than $200,000 rather than the $400,000 we used last year,” she said. “If we would have used the same amount as last year our deficit would actually be lower than last year. It is kind of misleading.”
The board of commissioners will vote on Nov. 28 to put the budget on display, where residents can see it for two weeks or so before it is adopted at the December meeting.
In other business:
∫ the committee voted to recommend that Deputy Michelle Reid be allowed to apply for an animal welfare grant. The grant would help cover costs of anti-animal cruelty and animal care programs, as well as provide funding for medical care for sheltered animals. The max that could be approved is $10,000.
∫ the committee recommends purchasing carpet and VCT flooring for the clerk’s and treasurer’s office from Young’s Flooring for $7,324. The commissioners conference room will also get new flooring for $3,922.
∫ the committee voted to approve the contracts for the 2018 allocation of funds for projects from the youth and rec millage and the older persons millage. This is the final round of allocations unless the millages are renewed next year.
The board of commissioners will meet on Nov. 28 at 1 p.m. in the Howard Male Conference Room in the county’s annex building.
Steve Schulwitz can be reached via email at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5689. Follow Steve on Twitter ss_alpenanews.