Huron County Treasurer Presents Draft Budget to County Council

by Bob Montgomery

Huron County Treasurer Mike Blumhagen presented the first draft of next year's budget to Huron County council this week.

Blumhagen points out it is just a draft and it calls for an increase of 9.65%. The county will have another budget meeting in two weeks. After that, they'll have a special budget meeting on February 14th, and that's where they'll really get into the details and come up with a consensus on a final budget. The final budget should be finalized by the end of February or early in March.

Blumhagen says there are four things in particular that are driving the increase in the budget and the first is related to the infrastructure deficits the county is facing. He says the county has really benefited from the long life of assets like roads and bridges that were built as much as sixty years ago, but many of them have now reached the point where they need to be replaced. He says that's the most significant cost. Blumhagen says they're also seeing some pressure in non-traditional areas for municipalities, like healthcare and specifically in the homes for the aged, as well as EMS programs, and the Housing Homelessness program. He says about 8% of the 9.65% increase is related to those programs and those are programs that are mostly beyond the county's control.

Blumhagen says some of the healthcare costs are covered by the government but the biggest challenge is the staffing shortage in long term care homes, and that's a problem for most rural communities. He adds the increase in call volume, as well as the increasing age of the population, adds pressure to the EMS budget.

Blumhagen added that it's still very early in the process and he looks forward to working with county council on a final budget.