Grand Traverse County commissioners Wednesday narrowly approved a proposal to more than double the budget and staffing levels for the county's animal control department.

Commissioners voted 4-3 to pass the measure, which was recommended by an ad hoc committee of commissioners, staff and residents who spent several months studying potential improvements to the department. The proposal will add $150,000 from the county's general fund to animal control's existing $130,000 budget, which is currently funded solely by dog license fees. The funding boost will allow animal control to grow from one full-time animal control officer - Deb Zerafa, pictured - to two animal control officers, one supervisor/animal control officer, and a part-time clerical support employee.

Commissioners Dan Lathrop, Bob Johnson and Ron Clous opposed the proposal. Lathrop said he wanted to see funding restored to animal control, but believed the recommendation went beyond the necessary funding levels. "I heard a lot of people say bring it back to where it was (before the department was cut in 2016)," Lathrop said. "My intent was not to invent a new department. My intent was not spend a whole lot more money...this is a lot more money than they've had recently. I'm more inclined to think we should be frugal."

Commissioner Bob Johnson agreed, saying he could support cutting the proposal back so that there was funding for two but not three new positions. "Every department we have here could probably make a case to say we need more people," said Johnson. "To me this is going to open the gates up to, where do we stop then?"

But other commissioners made the case that if the county was going to invest in animal control, it should fully commit to that cause. "Let's do it, let's do it right, let's not just do it patchwork, let's get it done," said Commissioner Cheryl Gore Follette. Chair Carol Crawford agreed. "I think it would be a mistake to take the recommendation and put it down to two (positions)," she said. "Why fund it, and have it not be funded properly and done properly from the word go?"

The $150,000 budget boost will be funded by a combination of $110,000 from the county planning department – monies available due to the departure of former Planning Director John Sych, whose position will not be replaced – and $40,000 from miscellaneous contingency, a fund that currently has $127,000 available.