News Photo by Crystal Nelson School Resource Officer and Alcona County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jason Dellar packs a backpack for teachers to use in emergency situations.

HARRISVILLE — On any given school day, School Resource Officer and Alcona County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jason Dellar patrols the hallways of Alcona Community Schools, ensuring students are safe and addressing teacher concerns. It’s a position that’s essential to student safety, officials said, and one district officials couldn’t part with when the Alcona County Board of Commissioners cut the county budget last year following two voter rejections of proposed property taxes.

The school district now pays for Dellar’s salary and benefits while school is in session, and the county pays for a portion of his salary over the summer months, when the county Sheriff’s Office is the busiest.

The school resource officer is just one way budgetary constraints have impacted how the county provides services to the public.

Those constraints come after multiple years of deficit spending, when the county has had to use its cash savings to cover its expenses. The county’s fund balance, or cash savings, has decreased steadily since it peaked at $1.9 million at the end of the 2013 fiscal year. The county ended the 2018 fiscal year with $948,554 in its fund balance, after dipping into the account once more to cover a $302,784 shortfall.

The county has seen its expenses increase steadily over since 2011, when the county had enough money in its fund balance to cover 38% of expenses. That jumped to 45% in 2013, but has since decreased to 19% for the current fiscal year.

The county’s current general fund budget is $4.9 million.

The county relies on money from the state and federal governments, property taxes, and other sources such as fees for services to fund its operations, but those revenues don’t always come in as projected.

Now, county officials are working to shore up its budget with cuts and fee hikes and are pushing economic development efforts to draw more businesses in. They’re also considering another tax hike.

County board Chairman Craig Johnston said revenue sharing paid by the state isn’t what it used to be and a state law limiting local governments’ tax revenues without voter OK has meant fewer dollars coming into the county’s coffers.

Johnston said property taxes generate the most revenue for the county and are one of the few ways the county can bring in additional funds, but voters haven’t been willing to see their money go into the county’s general fund.

After voters twice rejected an operational millage last year that would have increased property taxes for residents, county commissioners decided to cut spending.

Treasurer Cheryl Franks said the county increased fees for its services three years ago, but that revenue hasn’t been “a significant increase.” Johnston said those fee increases occurred in the county Clerk’s Office, Treasurer’s Office, and the Register of Deeds office.

“All the little fees that everybody hates to pay, we’ve raised most of them, brought them into line with what the state has suggested,” Johnston said. “We’ve kept ’em low for years, but we just can’t do that, anymore.”

Additionally, Franks said, the county is looking to increase its fee for dog licenses for the 2020 fiscal year, which begins on Jan. 1. Licences for spayed or neutered dogs would increase to $10 from $7, and licenses for unaltered dogs would increase to $15 from $14. Franks has yet to present the fee increase to the county board for approval.

To protect the general fund, county officials also instituted a hiring freeze and cut all unnecessary spending, including three positions from the Sheriff’s Office, a reduction in staff at the county Clerk’s Office, and a reduction in funds for the Alcona Recreation Area.

Heading into the 2019 fiscal year, Johnston said, the board also asked its departments to cut their budgets by 10%. Not every department was able to meet that target, and commissioners had to look for alternate ways to trim their expenses.

“It’s pretty hard to make 10% (cuts) in offices that have two people, there’s just not enough there,” he said. “What we did as a board is we changed insurance carriers, we negotiated with unions, we asked employees to pay more for their health care to reduce the cost to the county — we changed not only the carrier but the plan.”

Johnston said that, so far this year, the county has been able to stay within its budget and officials are hoping not to spend any of the cash savings this year.

Funding will continue to be an issue for commissioners heading into the future, however, as county buildings are requiring more upkeep. Johnston said roofs, plumbing and heating systems are reaching the end of their lifespans and will need to be replaced.

Commissioners have begun discussing the possibility of pursuing another millage, but Johnston says “that’s just talk.” He doesn’t foresee the county trying for another operating millage.

“In looking around the state, in other counties and other school districts, voters are, perhaps, more receptive if you’re more specific on what it is you want to do with their money,” he said.

Because of costly plumbing repairs needed at the jail this spring, county commissioners began talking about the possibility of a property tax that could pay for capital improvement projects. Johnston in June told commissioners they could “begin the process of thinking about a millage for building updates.”

Commissioners asked Building and Grounds Director Dave Hanson to compile a list of what the necessary repairs, renovations, or replacements would cost.

Hanson has yet to present that list of costs to the board.

Crystal Nelson can be reached at 989-358-5687 or cnelson@thealpenanews.com.

Alcona County’s dwindling savings

Alcona County’s general fund balance for fiscal years ending Dec. 31:

2009: $114,908

2010: $1,389,155

2011: $1,613,633

2012: $1,666,224

2013: $1,973,363

2014: $1,841,652

2015: $1,888,265

2016: $1,606,441

2017: $1,220,408

2018: $948,554

Source: Alcona County financial audits