Heading toward a new year, the Berrien County Board of Commissioners is looking at adjusting the county’s budget.
Commissioner Bob Harrison tells us a big issue facing the board is a drop in revenue expected for next year. It’s the result of the Cook plant tax reassessment, which will cause the country to lose about $900,000. How will commissioners deal with that?
“You look for places that cut budgets,” Harrison said. “We’ve got a good administrative team and they work well together, and so they’ll bring out as much, do away with some unfilled vacancies, economize here, economize there.”
American Electric Power sought a new tax assessment for the Cook plant, resulting in a settlement announced this year. That will reduce the plant’s value back to its 2022 level. Harrison says the only way to respond to that is to cut budgets.
“So not atypical to what goes on at hospitals or at the college. You just have to adjust to what you think the money coming in will be.”
Harrison says another challenge facing the county is related to staffing. In particular, he says the sheriff’s department and 911 Central Dispatch are affected. He does say Lake Michigan College has been helpful when it comes to finding new sheriff’s deputies due to its new police academy.
