News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Kim Elkie, Alpena County emergency services coordinator, sits and reads in the Alpena County Emergency Operations Center on Monday. In May, Alpena County voters may be asked to support a 2.5-mill tax increase to help pay for public safety.

ALPENA — The Alpena County Board of Commissioners is considering asking voters for an up-to-2.5-mill property tax increase to help fund public safety and provide relief to the county budget, which is projected to be in the red by more than $2 million at the end of 2024.

The proposed tax increase could be placed in front of voters in May during a special election.

The eight commissioners appear split about the proposed tax increase, and some on the board believe cuts need to be implemented before a tax increase is considered.

Others on the board say that, if a property tax hike is not passed, vital services — especially police services — likely will need to be cut.

County Administrator Mary Catherine Hannah said she envisions a six-year, 2.5-mill property tax, which would generate about $2.8 million annually to help fund the county Sheriff’s Office, the local courts, emergency management services, and other public safety needs.

The new tax would be in addition to a property tax paid to support countywide ambulance services.

A 2.5-mill tax would cost the owner of a $100,000 house about $125 annually.

County board Chairman Bill Peterson said about 64% of the county’s budget goes toward manning and operating the Sheriff’s Office. He said the proposed millage would ensure vital police services in the county remain in order. Peterson said services like road patrol are not a mandated service for a county, and, if more revenue isn’t created to offset rising costs, the board would need to weigh cuts to police.

“We haven’t been able to keep up with inflation costs in terms of revenue,” Peterson said. “If we had, we would be about where we need to be. We’re not overspending and it is my feeling that, as long as the money is earmarked for public safety, I would support it.”

During recent budget workshops, the commissioners have only been able to trim about $75,000 from the deficit. Peterson said all that is left to cut is wages or employees, which Peterson said is not something he wants to do.

“If people want to have the Sheriff’s Office and the road patrol they have and expect, we need help,” Peterson said.

Commissioner John Kozlowski agreed with Peterson that the only way to significantly reduce the budget shortfall is by cutting jobs. He also said things are so dire that, if the deficit isn’t addressed, the state could take over county finances.

Kozlowski said that, before he would support the millage proposal, the board must stop creating new employee positions and be more prudent when opening its wallet. Kozlowski said prior boards should have also been more aggressive in lowering the budget shortfall before it got too far out of hand.

“With other boards not being able to say no to things, this is where we are now,” he said. “I know people don’t want to pay more in taxes, but we need the money for the general fund. We are at the point where the county will have to cut jobs and the state could come in and take over.”

Kozlowski said he would be more inclined to vote for putting the millage request on the ballot if there is a plan in place before the vote to address the economic fallout should the millage request fail.

Commissioner Jesse Osmer was blunt in his assessment of the proposed tax increase. He said he will not support the millage proposal until a serious effort is made to stabilize the current budget by whatever means necessary.

“I’ve been very clear since the beginning that I will not support any type of millage proposal until I see the board produce a budget that seriously attempts to reel in spending and make cuts where possible,” Osmer said. “If the board decides to produce a recycled budget, then I will be a hard no.”

Commissioner Burt Francisco said nobody likes the idea of police officers being laid off or pivotal programs that keep residents safe discontinued. He said that, to prevent those scenarios from becoming realities, the county needs to find a way to bolster its revenue stream, and the only way to do that for a large sum of money is with the public paying more for the services they use.

“The county has just been keeping its head above water because of inflation,” he said. “Things like road patrol are discretionary and we don’t need to provide it. If we want to continue to include those services, we need to increase revenue.”

Francisco said the county is obligated to have a jail and bailiffs and a sheriff, which are considered mandatory services.

Francisco said finding cuts to make that will trim the shortfall is easier said than done.

“We have scrutinized the budget line by line, and we can’t find not even a significant savings, but even a small savings,” he said. “We’ve already cut the paper clips and pencils, and there isn’t much left to cut.”

The commissioners are hosting a budget workshop at 9 a.m. today in the Howard Male conference room in the county’s annex building, 719 W. Chisholm St.

The county’s budget year runs from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. The 2024 budget is expected to have around $13.2 million in expenses.