County officials are welcoming the public to meet and greet four new members of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday.

The informal gathering will take place from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the lobby of the county administration building at 220 North Main St. in downtown Ann Arbor.

Light refreshments will be served.

Newly elected commissioners Alicia Ping, Yousef Rabhi, Dan Smith and Rob Turner will be sworn in at the county board organizational meeting immediately following the event.

Meanwhile, two returning commissioners, Wesley Prater and Kristin Judge, have announced plans to host a series of coffee hours called “Coffee with Your Commissioner." The two commissioners, who were reelected in November, say they're preparing for the upcoming budget process, and an important part of the planning is to gather input from taxpayers.

“With another budget deficit in 2012-2013, cuts will need to be made. We want to start the conversation with residents now to help lead us in the right direction,” Prater said in a statement.

Starting Jan. 13, Prater and Judge will be available from 10-11 a.m. every second Thursday of the month to speak to residents who want to drop in. They say they will be available every month at that time, with the exception of July and August.

Prater will meet with residents at Leo’s Coney Island at 1342 Anna J. Stepp Drive in Ypsilanti. Judge will be at Harvest Moon Café at 5484 West Michigan Ave. in Ypsilanti.

There is no need to schedule a visit.

Prater and Judge served on the county board for the last round of budget cuts totaling $30 million. They said the board was able to save jobs and programs because staff took pay cuts and other efficiencies were made in the organization.

They note funding for nonprofit groups decreased in the 2010-2011 two-year budget, while commissioners cut $30,000 from their own $50,000 budget for mileage, per diem and travel expenses.

“Input from the people paying the bills is going to be critical, and we need to start getting that input now," Judge said in a statement.

The county is projecting a deficit of $20 million for the upcoming two-year budget cycle for 2012 and 2013. The work on that budget begins now.

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