2008-2009 - Saginaw County

GENERAL FUND 2009 BUDGET
Also included in Budget Resolution A is the General Fund Budget Summary for 2009, which presents
total expenditures of $44,569,501. This General Fund Budget reflects a 5.00% decrease from the
current amended 2008 General Fund Budget of $46,917,500.
General Fund Property Taxes
MAJOR REVENUE & EXPENDITURE CHANGES
Property tax revenues comprise the largest portion of General Fund revenues. The General Fund
property tax revenues are budgeted at $24,704,690 for 2009, a decrease of $339,989 over the current
2008 budgeted amount of $25,044,679. The current budgeted 2008 amount of $25,044,679 was
approved as an increase of over 3% from the 2007 number. That estimate of a year ago did not transpire
and the actual increase was closer to only 1.5%. Thus the expected $24,704,690 for 2009 is less than the
current budgeted amount of $25,044,679 this year which will not be attained.
Property tax revenue growth for Saginaw County has been the slowest for any County Saginaw’s size.
In comparing the growth of Taxable Value in the five (5) next largest Counties in the State and the next
five (5) smaller Counties in the State, we can compare that the growth rate between 2000 and 2008 from
Department of Treasury Tax Commission for these Counties is far above that of Saginaw. See chart
below for an eight (8) year growth in tax revenues.
Livingston 75%
Jackson 63
Washtenaw 62
Ottawa 60
Berrien 59
Muskegon 56
Kalamazoo 54
Ingham 47
Genesee 45
St. Clair 46
Saginaw 35
Average 55%
If Saginaw County’s Tax Base had grown at the average rate of the ten counties our size during this
eight (8) year period, our property tax revenue for next year would be approximately $8,000,000 more
than is currently budgeted in this 2009 Budget. This additional $8,000,000 in revenue would not require
the major changes in expenditures and/or fees approved in this document to balance the 2009 Budget.
While the Taxable Values for all comparable counties have not been finalized for summer 2009 levies as
of this printing, the estimated Taxable Value increase for Saginaw County has been estimated at 0%.
This represents the lowest move in Taxable Value in 15 years for the County.
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