COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Branch County Commissioners wrapped up their year with a final meeting Tuesday, and one of the few comments from a county board member yesterday came from Second District Commissioner Dale Swift of Bronson. Swift was the only one on the Commission to vote no on the general fund budget and the contract extension for County Administrator Bud Norman.
Swift said he felt the budget is a failure to the people of Branch County. According to Swift, for the second straight year, it represents a $1.5 million budget deficit and he reminded the commission the budget was cut by a million dollars in 2013 to reduce the red ink only to witness the deficit rise again by $900,000 with no plan to shrink the unfunded portion of the budget.
