Updated: Washtenaw County Board approves balanced 2010-11 budget in committee

Bob Guenzel

The full board plans to formally adopt the budget at its Dec. 2 meeting.

The budget brings revenues and expenses into conformity with $99.2 million in general fund spending next year. That drops to $98.5 million in 2011.

Commissioner Leah Gunn, D-9th District, thanked Guenzel for his "incredible patience" with commissioners as they pored over every detail of the budget.

"Everybody worked so hard on this budget, and I have never seen so much documentation enabling us to make good decisions," Gunn said. "I regret that we have to lose some people, but I think we've got a budget that is going to work."

The general fund budget includes the net elimination of about 19.6 full-time equivalent positions after factoring in new positions being created.

The cuts include:

• 1 in the county administrator's office.
• 5 in building inspection.
• 1 in the clerk/register of deed's office (as well as one held vacant).
• 1 in the county attorney's office.
• 2 in facilities management.
• 1 in Head Start.
• 1 in human resources.
• 7 in strategic planning.
• 1 in project management
• 1 in the prosecutor's office.

Part of the county's restructuring efforts involved creating four new positions in economic development and energy, including a director and three economic development and energy specialists. Another information technology manager position is being created, while 2.6 full-time equivalent IT jobs are being eliminated.

In parks and recreation, three positions are being cut, and three new ones are being created. And in water resources, an administrative assistant position is being created, while a customer service specialist position is being eliminated.

Commissioners said tonight they're pleased to have a balanced budget that doesn't include mass layoffs.

"I am very happy that we've been able to get to a (balanced budget) without some of the draconian measures some of us feared," said Commissioner Jeff Irwin, D-11th District.

Irwin predicted, however, that the next budget for 2012-13 will be even more challenging for the county.

The board's amended budget for 2010-11 calls for a hiring freeze to remain in effect.

Commissioner Kristin Judge, D-7th District, expressed regret to see two mental health positions being cut from other parts of the budget. She said it concerns her because those employees work in suicide prevention.

The county has about 1,350 employees within 17 unions, as well as nonunion employees. Personnel costs make up more than 60 percent of the budget.

Guenzel said a promised 3 percent raise that union workers gave up went a long way toward balancing the budget.

Commissioners were expected to give final approval of the budget at the full board meeting that followed tonight's Ways and Means Committee. County Board Chairman Rolland Sizemore Jr., D-5th District, said some commissioners still had minor concerns, which is why they're holding off two more weeks.

"But I'm very pleased the way this has turned out so far," Sizemore said. "I'm very pleased with the process. I think anybody that had anything to do with the budget stepped up. All the commissioners did a good job and everybody had say-so on which way they wanted to go."

One of the last issues being worked out is compensation and benefits for nonunion employees. Commissioners voted unanimously in committee tonight on a resolution that brings the levels of compensation and benefits of nonunion employees in line with those granted to union employees.

More than 80 percent of the county's employees are unionized, which leaves less than 300 that aren't.

In the county's first phase budget reductions for 2010-11 earlier this year, the county board approved a plan that included no salary increases, salary reductions, and a change in medical insurance, including premium sharing, for nonunion employees.

The resolution approved tonight refined those changes to make them closer to agreements reached with a number of the county's labor unions. That includes taking unpaid furlough days instead of salary reductions.

"It has almost the same effect in terms of salary savings but if employees don't work, they obviously get the day off, so that's the tradeoff," Guenzel said. "And then we modified the medical insurance. We took our existing plan and increased the co-pays ... and then we started premium sharing a year earlier, so that starts in 2010. We saved almost as much money, but it seemed a little fairer."

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