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A great way to end the year

Sometimes a surprise is bad, sometimes it’s good. In the case of the ending 2016 ending budget for Alpena County, it was outstanding.

During Wednesday’s Alpena County Board of Commissioners Finance Committee meeting, Treasurer Kim Ludlow told the commissioners the county ended the year with a surplus of more than $400,000. That’s the kind of news taxpayers love to hear.

Some of that money came from the state to make up for the loss of personal property tax, as well as an increase in revenue at the sheriff’s department.

“I’m very pleased, but remaining cautious because we still don’t know what the state is going to do this year,” Ludlow said.

She also said that despite starting 2017 with a deficit she thinks the county will be able to make up for it, or at least come close.

Every year Northeast Michigan counties struggle to get by with smaller budgets. For them, every month is critical as they balance revenue coming in against expenses going out.

That’s why ending the year with a surplus not only is a nice surprise, it’s a good reflection of responsible fiscal management.

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