11/02/2006

Millage would plug deficit

BY CHRISTINE FINGER

cfinger@record-eagle.com

LELAND — Supporters of a proposed property tax hike in Leelanau County contend it will preserve vital programs, but critics want the county to live within its means.

Voters will decide Nov. 7 on a request for an additional 1 mill for two years to fund general operations, including 911 and public safety services.

The tax would generate about $1,966,601 in the first year to help plug a nearly $2 million budget deficit for 2007.

If voters reject the tax increase, the county board plans to eliminate 29 full-time and nine part-time employees, or about a third of the county's workforce. The cuts include 911 staff and non-mandated programs like the Michigan State University Extension and the sheriff's department's marine safety, animal control and community work programs.

Susan Och, of Lake Leelanau, is a member of Save County Services, a citizens group campaigning for the millage.

"It's getting down to the things that make our county a community,” Och said. "It's not that expensive, and it would mean a huge deficit in the quality of life.”

The millage would cost the owner of a home with a taxable value of $150,000 an extra $150 each year in property taxes. The county's tax levy for 2006 was 3.8 mills.

No organized group is campaigning against the millage, but county Commissioner Melinda Lautner said she's heard from plenty of constituents who oppose it. She and Commissioner William Bunek voted against placing the tax increase on the ballot.

Lautner said taxpayers who've trimmed their own budgets are frustrated that government leaders haven't done enough of the same, especially when the county recently broke ground on a $10 million courthouse in Suttons Bay.

"We've not had to make some of the tough choices,” Lautner said.

The county will lose the interest revenue previously generated by accrued savings as it pays to build the courthouse.

Supporters don't deny the courthouse contributed to the budget shortfall. But they said county leaders anticipated the need for a new millage as the cost of providing services increased and state and federal revenue declined.

A $2.11 per month surcharge on land-based telephone lines that funds the 911 system will expire Dec. 31. County officials said the surcharge is not generating enough revenue to pay for the program as more users switch to cellular phones.