SAGINAW COUNTY -- On Tuesday, voters across the region to take up a series of issues: from school board elections to local ballot proposals. Perhaps the largest issue is in Saginaw County, and is countywide. Voters will be asked to raise additional funds to save jobs in the sheriff’s department. Sheriff Bill Federspiel said dozens of jobs are on the line, since revenues have decreased following drops in property values.
He said cuts could devastate his efforts to prevent crime, investigate crimes, and keep the bad guys off the street. “We’re not asking for more,” Federspiel said on Monday. “We’re not asking for raises. We’re just asking to continue with what we have,” he said.
If approved, Saginaw County residents would pay a little more than $40 extra a year on their property taxes. That figure is based on the taxable value of a home worth about $85,000. However, Thomas Call is leading an effort to defeat the millage proposal. He said the department needs to modernize and learn to do more with less.
“They’re doing the same old thing,” he said. “They’re not thinking out of the box.” His organization Stop Taxing Our People put up a billboard opposing the millage on State Street heading into Saginaw Township, next to the Subway store there.
“They’re simple going to people, taxing them more and more and more,” he added. Feedback: What do you think? Do you support the millage? Do you think it will pass? Comment below and let us know!
