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Washtenaw County commissioners were expected to vote in committee Wednesday night on a two-year budget for 2010-11, but instead tabled any action on the budget until Nov. 18.

But they did vote on an Act 88 millage, a new tax that will fund economic development and agricultural activities.

Commissioners delayed making a final decision on the millage two weeks ago, but voted 8-2 in favor of it Wednesday. Commissioners Kristin Judge, D-7th District, and Wesley Prater, D-4th District, voted no. Commissioner Jessica Ping, R-3rd District, was absent but previously said she would abstain from voting anyway.

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Commissioners listen to a presentation during Wednesday's Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners meeting, where the Act 88 millage passed.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

County Administrator Bob Guenzel proposed the tax two months ago in an effort to free up money in the county's general fund and avoid cuts to programs like 4-H and Ann Arbor SPARK. Overall, the tax will generate $603,000 a year in economic development funds and cost taxpayers roughly $4 for every $100,000 of their property’s taxable value. It will be levied in December for use in 2010.

The millage will provide:

  • $200,000 for Ann Arbor SPARK.
  • $50,000 for SPARK East.
  • $100,000 for the Eastern Leaders Group.
  • $59,000 for 4-H activities.
  • $27,000 for Horticulture Programming. 
  • $15,000 for Agricultural Innovation.
  • $15,000 for the Food Systems Economic Partnership.
  • $137,000 for the county's Department of Economic Development and Energy activities.

Commissioner Mark Ouimet, R-1st District, clarified he was offering a partial "yes" to the tax. He supported having it fund the agricultural-related programs, but said he thought economic development funding should come from the general fund.

"The reason I voted for essentially the MSU Extension, the horticulture program, the agricultural program and the Food Systems Economic Partnership is, because it's such a small part of the budget, my concern is that would continue to get lost," he said. "The other ones, the economic development (organizations) like SPARK, which I sit on the executive board of, I feel strongly that that should be housed in the body of our budget anyway. And because it is so critical and important, it will draw enough support and attention going forward, so it doesn't need to be carved out."

Judge said she voted no because many of the constituents she spoke to were uncomfortable with a tax increase they couldn't vote on.

"And I was uncomfortable with the amount of different small funds that were put in there," Judge said. "When it was first brought to the commission, it was just for SPARK and economic development, and the response from my constituents was that they were OK with that. But then when a bunch of extra stuff got added in, I didn't feel that it was handled in the best way possible."

The millage, allowed in Michigan under Public Act 88 of 1913, gives counties the authority to levy a tax for economic development, promoting agriculture and expanding businesses. The approval of the millage is not subject to a popular vote requirement because its legislative authorization predates the Headlee Amendment to the state Constitution by 65 years.

The board also voted 10-0 Wednesday night to reorganize the Sheriff's Central Dispatch and Emergency Services Division to address staffing shortages and record 911 call volumes.

The changes include eliminating four full-time dispatch supervisor positions and creating two operator positions, one emergency planning coordinator and one dispatch operations coordinator. One operator position will remain vacant under the budget-neutral reorganization.

The county budget, which did not get voted on, includes $99.2 million in general fund spending for 2010, down from $103.8 million in 2009. Commissioners said the delay of the budget means it won't receive committee approval until Nov. 18, which could push back its final adoption to Dec. 2.

"We're moving down to a consensus on the budget," Ouimet said. "We have worked through each commissioner's individual issues and I think we're very close to having this resolved, which I think is far different than what you've seen at the state or national level. We've been able to work together as a team, focusing on what our objectives are and how we want to fund government in this county."

Commissioners didn't go into detail on what issues caused the delay, which was announced at the start of Wednesday's meeting.

"I think a couple of commissioners still have a few points that they want to discuss," Ouimet said. "Instead of putting it up this evening, it's better just to take it off the table, have those discussions, and then be able to pass the budget in total. It's just what I would say essentially minor issues. I don't see it being a big problem."

Ryan J. Stanton covers government for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.

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