With weak public turnout at six recent, regional meetings discussing increasing the Allegan County Sheriff Office staff, Allegan County commissioners turned their eyes to a broader funding source.
To boost staff by 14 positions, the county had considered encouraging more municipal contracts for dedicated local service or a countywide law enforcement millage.
Commissioner Gale Dugan approached the public podium during the commissioner’s planning session Thursday, Sept. 28, to ask his fellow commissioners to consider another option: a Headlee override.
“I think the fairest way, the most understandable way, is to go for a Headlee override. That way we can take care of all of the areas this is going to affect,” Dugan said.
Designed to prevent taxes from rising too quickly, the Headlee Amendment has rolled back the county’s operating millage over the years down to 4.6185 mills—that’s a little more than 1 mill lower than what the county would otherwise be able to levy.
Based on 2017 taxable values, county executive director of finance Lorna Nenciarini estimated the full operating millage, at 5.7 mills, would collect an additional $4.8 million.
Dugan pointed out flaws in the other funding sources. Cities would likely demand to keep the amount of millage collected within their boundaries to fund their own police forces; likewise, existing deputy contracts with townships would need to be addressed if funding was going up across the board.
He also pointed out it was difficult to convince the public the funds were truly dedicated to law enforcement; technically, general funds could be pulled out and spent elsewhere as dedicated revenue took its place, leaving funding levels the same.
“You cannot put any language in (a ballot proposal) that will relieve the fear that we’re going to transfer or divert money into other places,” he said.
Finally, it was a question of whether or not a dedicated millage would raise enough revenue. At the regional meetings, it was emphasized that no specific size had been determined. The 14 new positions the sheriff’s office was requesting were estimated to cost $2 million annually; county administration had estimated it would take roughly a 0.5-mill tax to generate that kind of revenue.
“If we (pass) that, we’re going to cascade effect the rest of system,” Dugan said. “We’ll put more pressure on the prosecutor’s office, more pressure on the courts, more pressure on the jail.”
He said overriding the effects of Headlee and restoring the county’s operating millage addressed the entire issue.
“It’s the only fairest way of doing this,” he said. “Having the reliance of the public, going to them and saying, ‘This is for general county operations.’ And let the county board of commissioners, through the administrative and budgeting process, make sure this money is correctly and truly used for the benefit of the people.”
Commissioner Don Black—who has repeatedly said he does not see broad, public support for a dedicated law enforcement millage—agreed.
“I started doing the math in my head; he’s exactly right,” Black said. “It would take care of everything the sheriff department is asking for and all the (other costs) that would come.”
Commissioner Jim Storey said his own support for the law enforcement millage had waned.
“I’ve been thinking about this a lot over the last nine months, and I’ve really come to the conclusion I don’t think a narrow millage is the right way to go, for all the reasons Commissioner Dugan said,” Storey said. “Listening to our prosecutor talk about the ripple effects of adding more in the sheriff’s department, potential changes coming in Michigan law that will burden our whole criminal justice structure...
“If we do anything, we need to look at restoring the full impact of the taxes we already levy by asking voters to reverse Headlee. A law enforcement millage means authorizing a new tax. A Headlee override is not a new tax.”
Additionally, it broadened the support for the measure; overriding Headlee required a vote of the public.
Storey said it would help in all of the needed areas, including the prosecutor’s office, the health department, improving road patrol and addressing needs at the juvenile home.
“These are not luxuries,” he said. “These are essential to operating a solid county and offering a bright future for our residents.”
County administrator Rob Sarro said the county would not be required to collect even a fully restored millage, answering a question from Storey.
Commissioner Tom Jessup said he wouldn’t mind putting either type of question before voters.
“We just have to define exactly what we intend to spend the money on,” Jessup said.
While Commissioner Mark DeYoung said the additional funding from the override would be welcome to help address cutbacks in areas such as the environmental services group at the health department—understaffed currently to the point it often cannot complete well and septic system inspections and permits within even a three-week timeframe—tax increases were not popular in his district, the northeast corner of the county.
“In my area, I don’t know; millages just aren’t going anywhere,” DeYoung said.
Sarro said, “I think we would just approach it by asking what is our measurable need and simply build that into our five-year planning budget.”
Dugan said at a recent conference, the state treasurer said financial projections pointed to two difficult years ahead.
“He said the next two years are going to be extremely hard budgeting years,” Dugan said. “I think it behooves us to look at all our alternatives. This is not the saving grail for all our problems, but it’s a very straightforward vote. If voters say yes, we’re on a path... if they say no, it’s back to the drawing board.”
Contact Ryan Lewis at rmlewis@allegannews.com or (269) 673-5534.
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