The Wayne County Committee of the Whole on Feb. 4, 2025, voted to forward County Executive Warren Evans’s recommended comprehensive budget and appropriations ordinance for fiscal 2526 and the projected 2627 budget — described in the meeting as “a little over $2,200,000,000” — along with 24 technical amendments to the full commission for consideration and adoption.

The budget presentation opened with Terrence Adams, chief fiscal advisor to the Wayne County Commission, and Mitt Whitfield of the Department of Management and Budget. Adams said, verbatim, “a little over $2,200,000,000 about $2.2.0.6 or so billion dollars with the technical amendments.” Whitfield reviewed the list of technical amendments being incorporated into the document the committee considered.

The committee accepted 24 technical amendments (numbered 1–24 in the materials). Several items identified during the meeting include:
- A $1.4 million decrease to an appropriation to decertify revenue for the Wayne County Building Authority (technical amendment 14).
- A $13,000 certification to county funds in fund 221 (technical amendment 15).
- Decertification reflecting the discontinuation of a Fair Michigan Foundation grant in the prosecutor’s office (technical amendment 16).
- A $10,000 certification for an SDOH hub state grant affecting fund 221 (technical amendment 17).
- Two Department of Public Services projects — at Seven Mile and Sheldon Road and a pedestrian bridge on Beck Road — increasing appropriations by $1.3 million (technical amendment 18).
- Funding for the Western Wayne Special Operations initiative (technical amendment 19), initially shown at $2,000,000 and subsequently amended on the floor to $3,000,000.
- $120,000 for stipends related to a high-deductible health plan (technical amendment 20).
- A $3,000,000 appropriation for the Renaissance of Hopes resource hub development project (technical amendment 21).
- An $8,000,000 appropriation in support of the Samaritas Family Independence Center (technical amendment 22).
- Township paving funding of $14,000,000 (technical amendment 23).
- $400,000 for basketball courts in Hines Park (technical amendment 24).

Commissioner Kinesick moved to increase the Western Wayne special-ops funding in technical amendment 19 from $2,000,000 to $3,000,000 so the project would match previously set-aside dollars and meet the request made by seven commissioners. Kinesick said the aim was to have intersection signals and emergency vehicles “communicating with each other in a better way so that, you know, 30, 40 seconds ahead of time the lights would be changed, traffic would be flushed, and the emergency response vehicles would be able to move through quicker and and safer and and get to their intended, location faster.” The motion to increase the amount was supported on the floor and was recorded as carrying.

County Attorney Johnson clarified that increasing the amendment’s dollar amount required increasing both the revenue sources and the uses so the document would remain balanced.

After the technical-amendment discussion and the on-the-floor change to amendment 19, the committee voted to forward the recommended fiscal 2526 budget, the projected 2627 budget, the budget language instructions, and the technical amendments (including the amended technical amendment 19) to the full commission with a recommendation to adopt. The committee chair announced the motion carried and the report will be considered at the full board meeting.

During the public-comment period a representative identified as a court division representative addressed the committee about two court programs the speaker described as “mandated yet unfunded” — a set-aside program and a juvenile lifer program. The speaker said the court had requested $900,000 but that the amount provided was $565,000; the speaker also referenced an unclear figure they described as “I think the recommended was $2.55,” which was not explained further in the meeting. The speaker said they could return to request additional funds if needed but emphasized concerns about managing overtime and fiduciary responsibility.

The committee recessed and stated it would reconvene shortly for the full board meeting to consider the forwarded budget.