By Mary Drier
Staff Writer
CARO — Tuscola County Commissioners are expected to make some difficult financial decisions at their 7:30 a.m. meeting on Thursday which could impact more than 600 youths in 4-H as well as agriculture and nutrition programs.
Financial projections show a shortfall between revenue and expenses this year of about $222,000. If budget cuts aren’t made, that shortfall in 2016 is expected to grow to $391,000, then grow to $883,000 in 2019 for a total shortfall of $2.4 million in five years.
Commissioners plan to take action to prevent that. One of the first steps is cutting non-mandated services, which are services not required by state law.
The first proposed cut on Thursday’s agenda is eliminating the $140,000 appropriation from the county’s general fund to be given to Tuscola County Michigan State University Extension (MSU-E) in the 2016 budget.
MSU-E’s elimination would cut 4-H programs, which is a large part of the Tuscola County Fair’s venue, support for farmers and producers, and nutrition programs, and could force the office to close.
“I would hate to think of the fair as nothing but rides and grandstand shows,” said Commissioner Matthew Bierlein, noting he personally wouldn’t be interested in going if that happens.
Bierlein said one of the reasons he is building a house in the country is to provide his children with an area for them to “have the 4-H experience.”
It is estimated 4-H youth and Future Farmers of America (FFA) members displayed more than 80 horses, 100 pigs, 50 steers and feeders and numerous other small animals at last week’s fair.
According to Commission Chair Thom Bardwell, 4-H has been around for 75 years, and the decision to eliminate funding will have a huge impact on youth and “change the course of history.”
The national system of MSU-Es was created in 1914 by the Smith-Lever Act, but its history goes back to July 2, 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act into law that created a national network of colleges and universities that were meant to serve the higher education needs of farmers and laborers across the nation. That created MSU.
MSU-E District Extension Director Joe Bixler said he is concerned once the county stops funding the department, it will not be reinstated.
“It’s a problem of out of sight, out of mind,” Bixler said.
In the meantime, Bixler will meet with MSU officials on ways to continue operations and look at ways to reduce costs.
The proposal to cut MSU-E includes the option for the request of a special-purpose millage of .1 of a mill to fund operations. If that is done, it would cost the homeowner of a $100,000 house about $5 a year if voters approve the request.
Approval of that millage would offset MSU-E’s funding loss from the county, said County Controller Mike Hoagland.
There will be a state-wide election in March 2016 where that proposal could be put on the ballot. However, whether the issue is on the ballot in March or later, the tax money would not be available until 2017.
For several months, commissioners have talked about making reductions and cuts to save money.
The county has been able to balance budgets the last few years by using savings, but cannot continue to do that, according to Commissioner Craig Kirkpatrick, who co-chairs the county’s finance committee along with Bierlein.
Also, commissioners are considering closing Vanderbilt Park unless it starts making enough money to be totally self-sufficient, and they are also looking at disbanding the county’s planning commission. Eliminating those two would save about $10,000.
Kirkpatrick said some other cost-savings measures being considered are: eliminating funding to the Tuscola County Economic Development Corporation (EDC), reducing the equivalent of 11 full-time positions between 2016 – 2019, combining the county clerk and register of deeds positions, reducing work hours from 37.5 to 35 per week, staff reduction through attrition and mandatory restructuring, layoffs, early retirement incentives, postponing capital improvement projects and discussing potential ways of increasing court revenue with District Judge Kim Glaspie.
Some of the reasons budget reductions are being implemented is because property tax revenue is remaining flat, revenue from wind-farm development steadily decreases during the years, and upkeep on the county’s aging 15 facilities is costly and there isn’t enough money in the capital improvement fund if a major repair is needed.
“General fund revenue has only increased about 1.1 percent, and that is entirely from wind farm revenue and some state revenue sharing. Other revenue sources have remained flat or declined,” Hoagland said.