Commissioners Approve $15,000 for Parks to Cover Budget Shortfall
The funds will be allocated from the county's Capital Improvement Fund.
Hillsdale County—At its May 13 meeting, the Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to send an additional $15,000 to the Park Commission, which plans to use the money to cover a budget shortfall and upkeep at Lewis Emery Park.
District 5 Commissioner Brent Leininger, who initially opposed spending more money on the county’s parks, motioned to authorize the transfer. District 1 Commissioner Doug Ingles seconded the motion. The resolution passed 4-1.
District 4 Commissioner Brad Benzing was the lone “no” vote.
During a discussion of park funding in April, Benzing said he does not want the parks to burden the county’s general fund.
The Board of Commissioners approved $40,000 for the county parks from the general fund in the 2025 budget, but the Park Commission requested $144,200.
The parks’ funding level, as Ingles noted, has remained nearly the same for 30 years. In 1998, the county general fund allocated $35,000 for the parks.
Benzing suggested the Park Commission focus its resources on Lewis Emery, the “crown jewel,” and consider selling the other parks.
Hillsdale County owns three other parks: Kathe & Cali Memorial Park in Jerome, Bird Lake Park in Osseo, and Hemlock Beach Park in Reading.
Resolution 25-076, attached in the Appendix below, approved the transfer of $15,000 from the county’s capital improvement fund to the special revenue fund for county parks.
The 2025 approved budget shows that the capital improvement fund has $359,278, so the $15,000 allocation to the parks will take about 4% of the total.
Related Links
County Parks Decline as Funding Falls Short
Board of Commissioners Rejects $15,000 for County Parks
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