Last November, a proposed millage to address Eaton County’s budget deficit failed when residents voted no by a 3% margin.
The county’s Board of Commissioners, however, have not given up and have proposed a second millage that will appear on the ballot later this year. The 2025 Public Safety Millage was revised to specifically fund the prosecutor's and the sheriff's offices.
“The Board of Commissioners and county officials heard from a lot of residents,” Eaton County Communications Director Logan Bailey said. “Those residents, by and large asked, 'Why can't this just be a public safety millage?'”
Without the funding, Bailey said the county is in dire straits.
“We are facing the most historic financial crisis we've ever had at Eaton County,” Bailey said.
The county is currently operating on a balanced budget but in September, will go into a deficit. Added to that, Bailey says the primary reason they’ve been able to balance the budget so far has been because Eaton County has been understaffed.
“We run on a skeleton crew here,” he said. “Historically, we have struggled to hire and retain in almost every office. Some of our offices are one to two-man operations, when, in reality, they should be far more than that, but it is what it is.”
Eaton County residents will get another chance to vote on the millage in a county-wide special election on May 6.