Alpena County will freeze most discretionary spending during the final three months of 2026 as officials close the county’s books and prepare to adopt a new budget. County Administrator Jesse Osmer announced the measure Tuesday during the Alpena County Board of Commissioners’ monthly meeting.
The freeze will run from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. Osmer said the action is an annual step recommended by the county’s auditor to prevent a late rush of invoices and bills from complicating the closeout of the county’s 2026 financial records.
What the spending freeze covers
The restriction applies to previously unplanned or discretionary purchases, including office supplies and special projects. Budgeted spending that is necessary to maintain the county’s everyday operations can still move forward through an exception process.
“Usually any necessary spending on things that are absolutely needed ... is done, but this puts a freeze on things like paperclips and any special projects,”
Osmer said departments can ask the Board of Commissioners to exclude a purchase from the freeze. He described the measure as a cap intended to help the county begin closing its books and prepare for the next budget.
“It basically just puts a cap on it so that we can start closing our books and getting ready to adopt our new budget,”
Osmer later told The Alpena News that the freeze occurs during the last quarter of the budget cycle. The goal is to keep invoices from arriving in the following year—or after the budget has been adopted—when they could require adjustments by the auditor.
Commissioners approve policy rewrite
Osmer also asked commissioners whether he should draft new rules for spending from certain accounts controlled by elected officials. He said the board currently has limited oversight of those accounts beyond placing spending items on the agenda and making corresponding budget adjustments.
The Register of Deeds Office was cited as one example. Osmer said that office has its own account, and that the elected official who runs it can spend the money only on specific purposes within the office. The matter generally comes before the board when a budget adjustment is needed.
“We have certain elected officials who have accounts that this board does not have any oversight over other than making sure it’s listed on the budget,”
Osmer proposed allowing officials with those accounts to obtain approval from the county treasurer, the administrator or another elected official when they need to move money between meetings. He said the change would streamline the process while maintaining an approval step.
Commissioners unanimously approved a motion authorizing Osmer to rewrite the policy and return it to the board for approval. Osmer also said some elected officials have sole oversight of their accounts because that authority is established in state statute.