Wayne County committee approves procedural budget instructions, reviews technical amendments

The Wayne County Committee on Ways and Means reviewed proposed budget-language instructions and a set of technical amendments on Sept. 23, outlining new recurring reporting requirements for county departments and making a series of funding reallocations before the commission’s final budget action.

The committee’s session focused on adding instructions that require departments and elected offices to submit periodic reports — for example, quarterly staffing-level reports and several departmental status reports tied to contracts and initiatives — and on a list of technical budget amendments submitted by departments and management and budget.

Mary Karr, deputy director, Office of Fiscal Agency, summarized the proposed budget-language instructions and said the changes were primarily date, fiscal-year and numbering updates. She told commissioners the packets include new directives such as quarterly staffing reports and recurring reports tied to specific contracts, and she asked commissioners to stop her with questions.

The proposed instructions formalize the incorporation of selected departmental reports into the appropriation ordinance. They include specific filing requirements and deadlines; examples discussed during the meeting include: - Personnel staffing-level reports due 01/15/2026, 04/15/2026, 07/15/2026 and 09/15/2026, to be submitted through SciQuest/TCM and to the committee on government operations. - A sheriff’s office recruiting report due 12/01/2025 and 06/01/2026, to the committee on public safety, judiciary and homeland security, on department letterhead. - Repeated quarterly reporting on the Vision to Learn contract, Eastern Market Fresh Trucks initiative and Empowerment Plan/Coats for Hopes/sleeping-bags initiatives, each with 01/15/2026, 04/15/2026, 07/15/2026 and 09/15/2026 deadlines. - Facilities management reports covering county-owned and leased properties (including property location, ownership status, lease terms, using departments and allocated square footage, operational or lease costs, and source funds), due 01/15/2026 and 07/15/2026 to the committee on public services.

Philip Whitfield, budget director, Management and Budget, presented the technical amendments the administration had received so far. He summarized each request without reading every line-item detail and noted the amendments ranged from clerical corrections to multi-million-dollar reallocations. Examples the committee reviewed included: - A county clerk technical amendment to add a clerical specialist and overtime funding, increasing appropriation by $465,033. - A prosecuting attorney amendment to certify fund balance of $1,500,000 to cover negotiated salary increases. - An IDSD amendment restoring general-purpose dollars diverted to a new activity, increasing appropriation by about $4,000,000. - A special-projects reallocation that decertified $29,586,854 in one set of sources and reallocated appropriations, producing a net reduction in certain fund revenue and appropriation lines (the administration described it as a cleanup and reallocation among capital projects). - A facilities-related amendment increasing appropriation by $688,700 for renovations that staff associated with an earlier roofing/renovation contract discussion. - Technical amendments adding $400,000 certified funds for the treasurer’s request, $250,000 to certify global-visions technology and training licensing for juvenile services, and a sheriff’s request to acquire a horse trailer and electric bikes.

Kamal Kapooroo, finance director for Health, Human and Veteran Services (HHVS), explained that earlier ARPA-related program projections had been higher in draft budgets and were being adjusted to reflect anticipated spending; he noted that HHS originally had $60 million in ARPA funds, had spent about $9 million and had about $51 million remaining, and that some specific project budgets were being reduced from earlier projections (an example cited was a reduction from roughly $27 million to about $12 million in one area).

Commissioners and staff discussed implementation and follow-up steps. Commissioners pressed for clarity about contractors, vacancies and how staffing reports should categorize full-time, part-time, contract/consultant roles and vacancy counts; staff confirmed the proposed personnel report already asks departments to list employees by division and by employment classification (full time, part time, contract/consultant) and agreed they could add items such as contractor duration and occupancy rates for county-owned facilities on request.

During public comment, Dwayne Seals Chang told the committee the clerk’s office had an overtime shortfall compared with what the office reported earlier. “We lost about 800 to $900,000 in overtime in our budget. I only see $465,000,” he said, urging the administration and the clerk to reconcile the difference. The committee directed Management and Budget and fiscal staff to follow up with the clerk’s office to clarify the clerk’s overtime and position funding.

Committee staff and Management and Budget said they would consolidate the single-page changes into the full budget document and circulate a revised packet before the Monday meeting when final budget deliberations and technical amendments would be considered. The committee also asked chairs to be kept informed of late or missing reports and discussed using committee agendas to track overdue submissions.

Procedural votes recorded in the meeting minutes included a motion to “pass for the day” on the listed items moved by Commissioner Baydoun and supported by Commissioner Scott Anderson, which the chair announced as approved, and a motion to approve items E-1 and E-2 under new business, moved by Commissioner Baydoun and supported by Commissioner Clemente, also recorded as approved. The meeting adjourned after a motion by Commissioner Scott Anderson supported by Commissioner Mirecki.

Several items discussed will return to the committee for final action, and Management and Budget and fiscal staff were asked to update commissioners and chairs on outstanding reports and to finalize technical amendment language before the commission’s next meeting.

Ending note: staff indicated additional technical amendments were expected and would be communicated to commissioners in advance of the Monday session for final consideration.