Preliminary Berrien County Budget Shows Spending Gap

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berriencountygood-4

Next year’s Berrien County budget is starting to come together. County Administrator Bill Wolf says his early projections are showing a gap of about $1.8 million between next year’s spending and revenues. However, he says that’s normal this early in the budget process. Usually, the preliminary numbers show a discrepancy.

“Last year it was half a million, but that was an unusual year,” Wolf told WSJM. “In the eleven budgets I think I’ve been involved in putting together for the county, I would say the vast majority of them have started us in the $2.5 to $3 million range.”

Wolf says the budget will start to come together around November, after county department heads have had a chance to work over their own spending plans. He’s anticipating all to be well, and says county services won’t be affected by whatever cuts are made in the budget. In the meantime, it’s up to department heads to either make cuts or find new revenue.