Washtenaw County board approves balanced budget that fills $30 million deficit

Eliminating the gap in full agreement was a goal some didn’t always think was possible during months of studying the numbers, officials said.

“I know we had our hands full, and I think we did some innovative things,” County Administrator Bob Guenzel said. “(The 11-0 vote) says a lot about Washtenaw County and the ability of commissioners to work together.”

The Washtenaw County board - and Administrator Bob Guenzel - discuss the budget in an earlier meeting.

The county will add 10 positions, including four in economic development and energy, but otherwise will maintain a hiring freeze. About 20 full-time positions were eliminated in the process, the majority of which came from strategic planning and building inspection services.

Thirteen of the 17 unions representing roughly 1,350 employees made concessions, as did non-union employees.

Commissioner Mark Ouimet, R-Scio Township, credited the board’s leadership for steering the process and county labor unions for making necessary concessions to help avoid mass layoffs.

“It was extraordinary that we can get through such a difficult time with an 11-0 vote,” Ouimet said. “Our union partners really stepped up.”

Two Teamsters unions representing district court employees didn't renegotiate terms, Guenzel said. Nor did the Police Officers Association of Michigan or the Command Officers Association of Michigan, which represent members of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department.

The only public acrimony over the budget Wednesday came from about a dozen residents opposed to a grant allotment to Planned Parenthood for pre-natal care. They said they were against sending tax dollars to the non-profit for a number of reasons, ranging from financial statements to allegations of turning abortion into a for-profit enterprise.

“It’s tantamount to using tax dollars to market abortion,” said Anne Mitzel of Milan.

Several speakers also claimed other organizations in the area that don't perform abortions provide pre-natal services and should be considered.

But only one other applied for the $60,000 grant, and Planned Parenthood is the only to cater specifically to low-income women, commissioners responded.

Two Planned Parenthood staffers refuted statements from other speakers during the hour-long public comment period. Pittsfield Township resident Bernie Klein also spoke in favor of the grant and urged commissioners not to believe opponents were motivated by taxes or pre-natal care.

“It’s obvious this is about abortion and not pre-natal care,” said Klein, who volunteers for the organization. “Their message is always the same. They want to shut us down.”

Three residents stood outside the county administration building in the rain holding signs and enlarged photos of aborted fetuses for about an hour prior to the meeting.

Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.