County's Record Budget Said Short On Welfare

A record high $7.6 million budget was adopted Tuesday by I the county Board of SuperviI sors despite numerous objecl tions from the audience that not enough money was set aside for [ welfare. And while the highest I county budget ever, it does not include an appropriation for the I Mental Heslth Department. I Prior to adoption of all but I the mental health budget the; I board heard 13 speakers, mostl I representing various welfarel I organizations, urge the supervi-l f sors to delay adoption untiïi more welfare funds could bel i found. Backing up the speakers I were about 60 persons, most of [ whom had marched outside the I County Building for an hour I before the public hearing on the I budget in support of more wel[ f are money. I The board decided to delete temporarily the Mental Health I Department budget from the rest of the county budget until ' after a detailed explanation has ' been given by mental health , i officials about their programs. Supr. William E. M. Lands off Ann Arbor also indicated the' board may be able to cut I $16,000 from the $137,000 appro-f priation the department previ-P I ously had been given without!' I seriously affecting any pro-r I grams. f As adopted Tuesday, the 197 I budget calis for expenditures oí' I $7,696,373 (not including thet I Mental Health Department),1] I with anticipated revenues set alt I $7,833,643. Supr. O. Herberii. I Ellis, chairman of the board'; t I Wavs and Means CommitteeJ said, however, other possible: sources of reverme might be found in refunds from the Men-j tal Health Department and the Road Commission, reduction ii the ambulance subsidy and salt of the county's property on N Main in Ann Arbor. j Ellis said the refund from mental health could be as much as $154,000, but said there were restrictions on this money. He said $50,000 will be needed to estab.lish and staff a branch office of mental health in Ypsilanti, and another $50,000 should be retained as a "working fund" in case state mental heaith funds are late in : arriving. The money that could possibly come from the Road Commission would be refunds from the $400,000 estimated cost of building roads to service the Washtenaw Community College, Ellis said. A categorical breakdown of, ! the 1970 budget shows the area ' tha.t gained the most was ; fare with a jump from $903,312 ' in 1969 to $1,036,353 for next ( year. This includes an increase from $431,280 in 1969 to $612,137 in 1970 for social services and all county administered pro-: grams for the poor. ! : The Sheriff's Department budget increased $103,000 to 51,022,292 for next year, despite the fact Sheriff Douglas J. Harvey originally asked for $1.5 million. County officials say ;his b u d ge t is definitely 'frozen," ana' if the negotia:ions between the county and reamsters for a deputies con:ract cali for a large salary increase the sheriff may have cut the size of his f orce. H Judicial services, ineiuding the circuit, district and probate courts, showed a decreased budget, from $1,140,604 in 1969 to $1,115,899 for next year. The prosecuting attorney's office received an $18,000 boost to $206,779. The largest general increase went to the County Building Operations fund, with $236,000 added over last year. This includes a first payment of $180,000 for the Service Center on Washtenaw Ave. , By comparison to budgets in the past the tightest squeeze facing the supervisors is the Reserve Appropriation fund from which they must pay all individual budget overexpenditures and emergency needs. Ineiuding the money the board expects to get back from the Mental Health Department, the reserve fund will be only $54,000. Last year $513,321 was i budgeted for this fund for 1969 ] and county officials say mostj of that will be depleted by the] end of the year. j In the letter of transmitía! which accompanied the 1970 budget 'to the full board, thel Ways ánd Means Conunitteel noted that "no specifiek 'appro-i priation" has been made for clqthing allowance for ADC recipients. The committoe said, howcver, the needs have not been ignored. ''The state increascd its allotnu-nt for school clothing by $1J, payable twice yearly, plus $3 per month per person for personal needs," the letter said. It addcd that "the Social Services Board also voted additionoJ funds for cost of living inercases ($16.50 for ADC recipients and $15 for other reeiuients)." llie commitlce also said ■ I Washtenaw County so íar has I jprovided íhe grcatcst amount of county íunds íor school clolli-1 ing per child of all countics mi the state of Michigan." The 1970 budget specifiqally ■ íor the Social Services Board M also lias been increased $5O,OOo over last year, ttíe letter saíd. I One county official later I ed out that with thís $50,000, I and if the Social Services I Board can save $50,000 as it did I in the 1969 budget, the welfare I recipiente could possibly I receive more supplementary I money than thcy did this year. The lengthy public hearing on I the budget was led off by Mrs. I Anu Joiner, president of the I Ann Arbor League of Womcn ■ Voters, who urged the board tol approve a 25 per cent incrcascl in the personal needs budget ofl welfare recipients. Mrs. Joiner also submitted a I chart to the board comparing I the welfare allotments in 1961 1 when the federal a?sistance I budgets were set, what they are I no w and what she said ' they 1 should be. The chart showed I that the shelter allowancc has I increased 50 per cent since 1961, I from S90 to S135 a month. This I compares with a national 1 age increase of only 14 per cent, I Mrs. Joiner said. She said that wiiile both the I rent allotment and the utiliiy I assistance presenüy meet 1 quate standards, the personal I needs . budget . has increased I only 25 per cent, from $136 ío I $170 per month íor a family of I iour. She -Raid an additional '$5 I per month per recipiënt was I needed to bring this budget up I to par. ■ Dr. Herman Jacobs,, from the I Citizens Advjsory Conimittee I íor the Social Services Board, I then urged the supervisors to I adopt the committee's I ous proposal thnt would provide I such an increase. He said is.-l early as last May thfc_LDj} I mittee suggested an increas qL I S5.50 for every welfare I ent, at a total cost to the c'ounlv I ofS2G2,7G0. Gcorgc Stewarf, director of I the Legal Aid Clinic and I ney for the Welfare Rights I Organization, told the board: I "lts a stark fact that these I fare recipienls are living on S37 I a month, that works out to $1.23 I a day." (yïitte. Of) fKe. hwf) COUNTY'S RECORD ■ BUDGET... I Univcrsity l'roï. Itobcrtl Segal, one of the iounders of I the Community Advocates for I Welfare (CAW), which marchcd in front of the Counly Building yesterday, said his organization will continue to I opérate. He indicated it would try to forra a "roalition of professional . organizations" to prevent a unified front in presenting welfare proposals lo the supervisors. Another speaker, Ralph Young, of the National 1 tion of Social Workers, prom-l ised the board demonstrations I "day after day, week aftcrl week" until the welfare ncedsl are met.