Oakland County Approves 3-Year Budget
SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) - Oakland County Commissioners have approved a three-year operating budget with no layoffs, but no pay hikes until the final year.
"We're the only county in America that has a budget that long in line-item details," said County Executive L. Brooks Patterson. "It'll be balanced for [2012], 13 and 14 ... we will now start to work on 15, fiscal year 2015."
"Looking out that far gives us some distinct advantages when looking at the challenges of this economy," he said.
Patterson said the balancing act will not come at the expense of county employees.
"We're making some reductions, obviously, in our expenses, but there are no pink slips, no layoffs. And that's, again, the advantage of long-range planning," Patterson said.
Patterson's budget includes a one percent pay hike in 2014. The budget also eliminate the position of a district judge and staff while looking into bringing state prisoners in the county jail. That could mean an extra million dollars for the county.
