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Tuscola County Board Of Commissioners Meeting November 24th
Russ Survance
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 13:10:06 EST
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Tuscola County commissioners spent much of their November 24th meeting wrestling with a shrinking 2026 budget gap while also advancing small parks projects and reopening debate over how the county's road commissioners should be selected.
Budget gap narrows, but not gone
Controller/Administrator Erica Dibble told the Board the projected 2026 deficit has dropped from about 1.9 million dollars to just under 1.0 million after updating expenditure estimates and expected interest earnings.
Commissioners asked for a detailed list of line item changes that produced the smaller shortfall and continued to discuss how much must be kept in reserves to stay within county financial policy and state expectations. The Board also requested that its next agenda include possible action on freezing previously approved commissioner salary increases through 2028 and considering a countywide hiring freeze.
The Board approved several modest investments at Vanderbilt Park, including purchasing cornhole equipment for $2,579 and installing two concrete pads for the boards plus a pad for a historical sign for a total of $2,250.
Commissioners also signed off on the 2026 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting schedule, while signaling that extra meetings should be tied to active projects, and authorized staff to seek bids for adding internet service and automated park pass purchasing at the campground.
In other quality of life spending, the Board accepted a $25,000 Clean Sweep grant for 2026 and approved buying a new horizontal baler for the recycling program for $77,340 using Materials Management Planning grant dollars.
Under old business, Board Chair Kim Vaughan led a discussion of whether Tuscola County's Road Commissioners should remain elected or be switched to appointed positions, citing 2012 state laws that allow counties to change how road commissions are structured. Vaughan noted that the county created its road commission board by motion in 2010 and said he plans to contact other counties that have already moved from elected to appointed road commissioners to learn from their experience. A draft resolution to change the selection method is expected to appear on an upcoming Board agenda for further debate and possible action.
The meeting ended at 11:18 a.m. after commissioners also approved a new Council on Aging appointment, renewed the county's flexible spending provider contract, and cleared use of The People's Building for a New Year's Eve community event with security and insurance conditions attached.
