COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Branch County Board of Commissioners will have a difficult decision to make as work on the proposed 2019 General Fund budget starts to wrap up.
Some county residents have demanded in recent years that the Branch County Sheriff’s Department add road patrol deputies.
Sheriff John Pollack has requested four additional deputies in his 2019 budget like he has done in past years.
County Administrator Bud Norman went over the fourth draft of the proposed budget during Tuesday’s work session after commissioners directed him earlier this month to conduct a review and adjustment in the middle of the year which would leave the county with a $700,000 deficit.
The current draft included the fund balance being at $515,000, which would be $68,000 less than 2018. It was pointed out during a discussion that the fund balance controls the county’s bond rating and if the fund balance gets to low, the bond rating could drop.
Even though the current budget draft did not include funds for additional deputies which would mean using money from the fund balance, Commissioner Leonard Kolcz told Norman he wanted to see at least one road patrol deputy added next year. Norman said if the commissioners wanted to add staff, he would include that in the budget, but it would mean a change in the fund balance.
Kolcz motioned to bring the additional deputy question forward to next Tuesday’s regular meeting of the commissioners. It was approved 3-2 with Terri Norris and Commission Chair Ted Gordon also both voting in favor of the motion.
