Washtenaw County releases 2026–29 general fund recommendations; commissioners spar over animal‑control funding

County finance staff presented a recommended 2026–29 general fund budget at the Oct. 15, 2025 Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners working session, and commissioners used the presentation to press administration for clearer cost accounting on animal control services and other county priorities.

The numbers: county staff summarized a general‑fund starting point of about $166 million in 2026, rising to roughly $176 million by 2029. The recommended assumptions include a 3% increase in the general‑fund operating millage base for 2026 (then a return to smaller increases in subsequent years), a reduced attrition assumption based on 2025 experience, and continued contributions to reserves with projected year‑end fund balance above policy targets (projected at roughly 41% of the 2026 budget and declining toward 35% by 2029 under the recommendation).

Major budget items called out by staff included: - Reclassifications: 219.5 FTEs recommended for reclassification through the county’s job‑and‑classification review (JAQs), with an estimated general‑fund cost of about $800,000 in 2026 growing in future years. - Public safety: requests to increase jail food and medical funding (the recommendation includes roughly $1.6 million in 2026 and grows to…