HARRISVILLE — The Alcona County general fund is currently $689,000 in the red, and the County Board of Commissioners is considering which county services will be cut in order to amend the budget.

Voters earlier this month rejected a millage proposal to restore revenue lost from state-mandated rollbacks of the county’s property tax rates. If the millage had passed, it was estimated to raise about $809,000 in the first year, according to county officials. This would have allowed the county to begin restoring the general fund to prevent shortfalls which have happened the last two years and forced the county to borrow from its cash reserves.

While the board will put the proposal on the November ballot with new language and a flat rate of 1 mill instead of the 1.0718 mills proposed on the August ballot, board members are currently deciding which cuts will be needed to decrease the budget deficit.

The county currently manages 44 funds, ranging from the general fund to road, housing, emergency medical services and a variety of others that provide services to the county’s residents. Officials have said budget shortfalls are caused by increased expenditures and a drop in property tax revenue. They have estimated that property values in Alcona have dropped by more than $272,000 over the last 11 years. Paired with expenditures for items such as new police cars, equipment upgrades, and unfunded state and federal mandates, the county has been unable to avoid budget shortfalls.

Wednesday’s discussion at the board meeting was only the beginning of proposed budget cuts, which could potentially include freezes on hiring, decreased hours of service, fewer services provided, and slashed discretionary spending, which the county provides for a variety of public services.

“These are the repercussions, we can’t do these things, we can’t ask for resource officers, maybe we can’t be open certain times, but this is what we are doing,” Chairman Craig Johnston stressed during the meeting.

“We don’t want to have to stay this way, we don’t want it to be this way, public,” he said. “We don’t want to take away these services. We think you’re not as good off as you could be, so vote to bring this stuff back.”

Kaitlin Ryan can be reached at kryan@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 989-358-5693.