COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – With the 2019 Branch County budget scheduled to be formally adopted a week from Tuesday, the Branch County Board of Commissioners have still not come to a final decision on a Sheriff’s Department request for an additional deputy and four vehicles to replace those that are nearly a decade old.
There are concerns about dipping into the county fund balance to help pay for those requests especially since it could affect the county’s bond rating with an important bond sale early in 2019 to help finance the new Branch County Jail.
The current bond rating is Double A minus.
After four options were presented by County Administrator Bud Norman on Thursday, the Commissioners asked him to bring back the numbers next Tuesday for two of the options. One option would have neither the deputy or the vehicles which would leave a budget deficit of about $498,000. The other option would include the additional deputy with no vehicles which would leave the budget deficit at about $573,000.
A factor that could affect the Commissioners decision is county employee insurance and whether or not to have a hard cap or an 80/20 split.
Norman said he has never had a budget that has had so much flux.
Commissioner Terri Norris said she wanted to see another deputy added but was concerned about the bond rating and the interest rate for the new jail. Commission Chair Ted Gordon favored the option for a new deputy but withholding the purchase of the vehicles.
Commissioners Don Vrablic and Randall Hazelbaker favored the option with no additional deputies or vehicles.
Commissioner Leonard Kolcz was absent once again on Thursday as he continues to recover from a recent stroke but he has been a strong advocate for additional road patrol deputies.
The Commissioners do have the option of revisiting the additional deputy option next June when a mid year audit is conducted.
