County Sheriff's Millage: Residents unsure about County budgeting
Isabella County's ballot will include a yes/no vote for a new millage to support the County Sheriff's department.
The millage would increase the housing tax by $1.45 per every $1,000 of assessed taxable value. That would cost the owner of a $100,000 taxable valued home $145 per year.
It would keep 22 law enforcement staff plus animal control and admin working at the County Sheriff’s Department. If the millage doesn’t pass, all deputies working for the county department, which includes road patrol, the sergeants and the detectives could be cut.
“Taxes (would be) up to $10.89 a month (for me),” said Leigh Clark, wife of one of the County detectives and member of the Friends of Isabella County Facebook page. “I get it that no one wants to pay more, I understand, but $10.89 a month to keep our deputies on the streets, it's worth more than that.”
The millage tax calculator is available on the the department's website under: “Find Out What this Millage Will Cost You.”
The Isabella County Sheriff department responds to around 16,500 calls yearly, according to the County Sheriff's website.
"The Sheriff’s Office has historically been funded through the county’s general fund, which is supported by a separate millage," according the the County Sherif’s Department website. "As funding needs and operational costs have evolved, the Sheriff’s Office is now seeking to establish its own dedicated millage to more effectively address the growing demands of public safety."
"If the millage does not pass, the Isabella County Sheriff’s Office faces significant budget cuts (that) will result in the reduction or termination of essential services," according to the website. "This includes the elimination of road patrol services, marine and dive team operations, K9 unit activities, accident investigation capabilities, emergency response team participation, community event patrols and support for local law enforcement agencies."
Clark is one of about 14 members of a committee which aims to spread accurate and reliable information about the millage. She said that she is directly affected by the millage through her husband’s work, but it also concerns her that Isabella County wouldn’t have police in its rural areas.
“We have family of sheriff deputies, we have just concerned citizens with no ties to law enforcement, we have a retired deputy (Dave Patterson)," she said of the committee.
She said the members also share a Facebook page: Friends of Isabella County.
Without the Isabella County Sheriff's department, the County would rely on the State and Mount Pleasant police. The Tribal Police are open on weekdays, and CMUPD is available 24/7 but mostly patrols campus.
Clark said it would take longer for the State police to respond to calls, in case of an emergency. She said that the Michigan police department is already drawing up plans in case the millage does not pass.
“A few years ago, (people in Mecosta County) voted down the millage,” Clark said. “But now they have passed a road patrol millage. They can’t fill their vacancies.
“$10.89 a month, that’s the cheapest form of insurance,” Clark said. “I will pay $10.89 10 times over to make sure that someone will respond to emergencies.”
Citizen opinions on the millage
People in Isabella County disagree about whether the millage should pass. Many people said that the Sheriff’s department has stretched its budget building the prison.
The prison spendings are on budget, although raw materials became more expensive mid-project, according to the County Sheriff’s website.
Mitch Reetz lives west of town at Lake Isabella. He said he is undecided about how to vote. He said that some people don’t want to pay the extra money after the County’s recent budgeting.
“I don’t think that’s a good thing but I also know how that all goes back to the last election, people are still put off by it after the last election too,” he said. “I think people are sour about the jail being built, and now people feel like they have to bail them out.”
“I’ve got mixed feelings about it,” Seth Wisney, who lives five miles outside of town in the Mineral Springs area said. “I feel like they took some of the money and used more than they should have on the jail. I’m a hundred percent about supporting the sheriff's department, though.”
Wisney said he’d probably vote yes on it just because he thinks they’re understaffed.
“Police need resources so I’m probably always going to be in favor of giving police resources,” Nicholas Blond, a small business owner in Mount Pleasant said. “They protect our community. They’re stretched thin as is."
Jeremy Couturier, a resident of Mount Pleasant, said he wasn’t aware of the millage, but he supports funding the County sheriff's department.
“I think that living in the community, we have to have public services and to me that seems like an essential one," Couturier said. "If we as a community need to raise more money to do that then we have to. There are a lot more services than running the county sheriff's department.”
Couturier listed scenarios like domestic situations and child crises, beyond road patrol, that benefit from police support.
“The situations can escalate quickly and even just having the police support there helps,” he said.
Seally Busch is a sophomore attending CMU. She said she has mixed feelings about the millage too. Busch lives off-campus with her parents on South Washington.
“I’ve thought about it and I haven’t fully made up my mind what to vote for," Busch said. "I do believe there is a lot of hypocrisy in the Isabella County."
Busch said that last year the county agreed to the prison's construction, but “there’s lingering frustration from last year when we voted down the pool.” Busch said that it would have helped the community, which has no public pool for swim meets.
“While I haven’t made up my mind, it’s frustrating,” Busch said. “Unfortunately taxes are what’s needed for society, and we need to chip in for the good of our community.
"I'll probably vote (yes) but I haven't quite made up my mind."
