To resolve this current budget issue, the BOC merely needs to restore HSHV’s animal control funding, or as much as possible, in proportion to cuts made to other critical, and mandated government services, or reallocate funds from less critical items–like BOC perks. This is a crisis of the BOC’s own making and reminds me of the so-called “debt crisis” manufactured by congressional Republicans last year. It does no one any good for politicians to sit on their hands all year, then suddenly declare an emergency at budget time.

The same draft budget that slashed HSHV by $250,000 called for increasing SPARK’s unaudited allocation from $200,000 to $230,000. If there is indeed an animal control crisis, it would appear to be the BOC’s inability to rein in the sacred cows in their budget.

Budget size doesn’t necessarily equate to importance, and not all county programs are equally important to all residents. I live in Ann Arbor, which no longer provides animal control services of its own. On a per-dollar basis I consider animal control far more important than some of the other county services I’m paying for.