Voters have spoken, telling the Alpena County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that they would not support a property tax hike that county officials said was needed to avoid steep budget cuts.

Now, we need Alpena County residents to continue speaking up as the county board finalizes its 2025 budget and puts the knife to county spending.

The county asked voters to support a four-year, 0.7-mill property tax hike that would have raised about $800,000 a year for the county and cost the owner of a $100,000 house about $35 a year.

The proposal would have also raised property taxes in Alpena County townships by 0.29 mills, costing the owner of a $100,000 house in one of the townships another roughly $15 a year. It would have raised taxes for the Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona Educational Service District by 0.25 mills, costing the owner of a $100,000 house another roughly $13 a year.

That would put the total cost of the proposal for the owner of a $100,000 house in an Alpena County township at about $63 a year.

The county said they needed the tax hike because the county faces a roughly $1 million gap between revenue and expenses next year, and layoffs and the elimination of county services would happen without the additional tax revenue.

Voters said no, though just barely. The tax failed by a mere 129 votes out of 15,337 votes cast, with 50.4% voting against and 49.6% voting for.

The county board has said many of the services the county provides are mandated by law, leaving few places cuts can happen. County officials have proposed a $500,000 cut to the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office, which would mean the end of 24-hour road patrol and cuts to marine and trail patrols, including water rescues and responses to snowmobile wrecks.

We need the same voters who voted against the tax (and those who voted for it) to show up to county board meetings over the next couple months and tell the county board what they think of their proposals. Look at the county budget and make suggestions about other places to cut, if you don’t want it to come from the sheriff.

Visit AlpenaCounty.org. Arm yourself with information. Then get involved.