SAGINAW -- “It’s real tough,” said Saginaw County Commissioner Cheryl Hadsall immediately after the county commission sub-committee she chaired approved a tax hike proposal, to be sent to the full board for a vote next week.
The proposal is considered a lifeline for more than 30 jobs in the sheriff’s department, including jail staffing, road patrol and crime investigations. The proposal must get the approval of a majority of county commissioners, and voters in May before those jobs can be considered safe.
“As you can see we’re $5.5 million short because of the foreclosures, because of people leaving Saginaw County, and we’re not taking in enough money to provide the services.”
The 1-mill proposal would charge homeowners an extra $42.50 year for five years, raising an estimated $4.4 million dollars annually. However, commissioners in the sub-committee also approved $1.1 million in cuts, affecting 15 jobs in several departments to pick up the rest of the remaining deficit.
This was the successor to a similar proposal that failed in the sub-committee Monday night, that had a slightly different dollar figure associated with it, and did not include the elimination of the 15 jobs previously mentioned.
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