Finance Committee wraps up county budget, Commissioners prepare for September 19th Budget Adoption for Fiscal Year 2014/2016

On Thursday, Aug. 22, members of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners' Finance Committee conducted a wrap up meeting for the FY 2014/2016 Oakland County Executive's Recommended Budget with a few amended changes. The Oakland County Board of Commissioners will vote to adopt the recommended budget at the Sept. 19, Oakland County Board of Commissioners' meeting. At the wrap up meeting, Finance Committee members voted and approved amendments with a few noteworthy changes that included adding two new projects to the Future Projects list of the Capital Improvement Plan. The two additions to the Future Projects list included $250,000 for Animal Control Air Conditioning and $550,000 for Animal Care Basement Renovations. For informational purposes solely, the Future Projects were listed in the budget, but no appropriations were included. Members of the Finance Committee also approved a "Buy Local" amendment presented by Oakland County Commissioner Dave Woodward to develop a new program to promote buying local as a new economic development strategy. "Keeping more of our money in our local economy is an economic strategy that works," Woodward said. "For every $100 spent in a local small business $73 stays in the local community, supporting other local businesses, creating new jobs, and making our communities more resilient," he explained. Members of the Oakland County Finance Committee voted unanimously in support of the recommended budget with the amendment changes. "Leaders working together is the key," stated Oakland County Board of Commissioners Finance Chairman Thomas F. Middleton. "It is the collaborative effort of the County Administration and all county elected officials that has made the county's balanced budget possible, along with the 3-year budget planning process that has made crisis budget management a non-issue in Oakland County. We have a remarkable example of bi-partisan leadership which has made Oakland County a standout in fiscal management," he stated. Oakland County Chief Deputy County Executive Gerald Poisson, on behalf of County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, thanked the committee and the entire Board for their continued leadership, cooperation and support in keeping the county a fiscally sound government. He stated, "Standard & Poor's reaffirmed the County's AAA bond rating. We can all be proud of this achievement, especially in light of the fact that during the recent, prolonged recession, Oakland County experienced a greater loss in taxable value than any other Michigan County. Yet, because of our shared vision as county leaders, our sustained commitment to sound budgeting practices and the continuing cooperation of all of the County-wide elected officials and the Board of Commissioners, we are able to maintain a balanced budget and meet our budget targets without sacrificing quality service delivery to our residents." On Sept. 19, the Finance Committee's Recommended Budget will be presented to the full Board of Commissioners, where members of the Board will vote to adopt the FY 2014-2016 budget. Since July, the Board of Commissioners' Finance Committee has been looking at all areas of the budget and has held a series of public hearings with various county departments coming before the committee. The Sept. 19 meeting will be held in the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Auditorium, located at 1200 North Telegraph Road in Pontiac at 9:30 a.m. All meetings are open to the public. All meetings can be viewed online at www.oakland.michiganeventslive.com and budget documents can be viewed at www.oakgov.com/mgtbud. Oakland County Commissioners serving on the Finance Committee include Finance Chairperson Commissioner Thomas F. Middleton (R), Finance Vice Chairperson Commissioner Shelley Goodman Taub (R), Commissioner Dave Woodward, minority-vice chairperson (D), Commissioner and Board Vice Chairman Jeff Matis (R), Commissioner John A. Scott, Commissioner Christine A. Long (R), Commissioner Kathy Crawford (R), Commissioner Nancy Quarles (D), and Commissioner Helaine Zack (D). Published: Thu, Sep 5, 2013

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