Clerk, treasurer, courts and prosecutor urge commissioners to limit cuts to staffing and core services

Eaton County's constitutional officers and the trial courts used a special budget meeting to spell out how recommended spending cuts would affect statutory duties and frontline services.

County Clerk and Register Diane Bosworth told commissioners her office had been operating with reduced staff for years and announced an immediate consolidation of the clerk and register offices to cross-train staff. She said the county's election workload has increased dramatically since Proposal 2 (2022) and warned that "our election department consists of only 1 person," arguing the county needs a dedicated election director. Bosworth proposed raising certified-copy fees from $15 to $20 for the first copy (additional copies $10) and increasing election programming charges from $125 to $200 per ballot style to bring in modest additional revenue.

Treasurer Darris Raynett described the treasurer's mandated duties, including tax settlement, foreclosure…