Budget Cuts Approved

Budget cuts (of $15,495 wejre approved by the County Board of Commissioners Wednesday night and the money transí erred to the unearmarked reserve fund. The cuts, which were approved on a voice vote, had been recommended to the full board by the Ways and Means Committee last week. Included in the cuts were $10,000 in the projected costs of remodeling the old Board of Commjssioners room in the County Building into Circuit Court 4. Most of the remodeling has been done and the county thus far has spent $23,000 instead of the estimated $40,000. The commissioners also revised an earlier budget cut for the county Cooperative Extensión Service, cutting that department by $5,494 instead of the original cut passed by the Board on Jan. 3 of $11,156. Cuts in that program included $1,000 for the county 4-H Fair, $1,000 in travel, $1,200 in the work-study program which will mean two fewer students will particípate this year, a $400 cut in travel expenses for the work-study program, and $1,895 in equipment purchases. In qonjunction with the budget, Elizabeth Kummer, representing the Ann Arbor League of Women Voters, criticized the commissioners for making some $440,000 in budget cuts earlier this year without holding a public hearing on the matter. Mrs. Kummer said league members and interested citi2ens has become increasingly confused over the status of the budget. "At what point does this board plan to have a definitive budget? . . . and the j League, ás strong supporters of the need for planning, questions whether some of the department cuts are not of a capricious nature." Mrs. Kummer was also critical of the Decmoratic caucus for arriving at the budget cut decisions in private meetings. Mrs. Kummer's statements were answered by C m s r . James Creger, D-Ypsilanti, who said the county in previous years had made "significant alter ations" in the budget after the formal public hearings. Cregar added the money had not been cut from the budget but placed in the unallocated reserve fimd. The board also unanimously i voted to cut $20,000 from the Mental Health Department budget as had originally been planned at the first of the year. The commissioners decided not to make the cut after they learned such a cut would result in an $80,000 reduction in state and federal aid to the department.. The board also voted to set the salaries of the Sheriff's Department Undersheriff at $20,223 per year and the salaries of the Jail Administrator and Chief Deputy at $16,069 per year. The commissioners plan to review the salaries of the three positions annually.