County Commissioners are on track to freeze funds from both the 2005 Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and the Planning Commission budgets at their regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, August 11. They also want to turn over information to the State Attorney General on funds the county treasurer allocated to herself and staff out of the delinquent tax account, without the board’s approval. The treasurer has returned the funds to the county. During a committee-of-the-whole meeting Thursday, August 4, commissioners also continued discussion on holding a special audit of the treasurer’s office.

Any action on the discussion items will come at the regular board meeting, since motions and voting cannot take place during the committee meeting.

“We’re not doing anything today. We’re discussing it. It’s meant only for discussion and by next Thursday (August 11), people may actually change their mind when it comes to a vote,” Commission Chair Dawn Nelson announced.

Commissioners were scheduled to review department funding for the 2006 budget year, and they questioned immediate continued funding of both the county’s Economic Development Corporation and Planning Commission and agreed to leave just enough in their budgets to keep both organizations running, but nothing more. Commissioners will vote on their decision at their next meeting.

“In a perfect world, I’ll tell you what I’d like,” said Commission Chair Dawn Nelson, who was first to voice her opinion of the EDC. “Yes, I’d like a director. I’d like him or her to walk in and say this is what my goals are, this is what my action plan is to obtain the goals, and at the end of the year, if it doesn’t work, I’ll be gone to Timbuktu.”

The EDC has a 2005 budget of $52,900 and commissioners will consider slashing it with an amendment that would reduce the figure to a mere $6,200. The Planning Commission’s 2005 budget is $86,650 and commissioners discussed reducing it to $24,000. So far this year, the EDC has spent $5,695 and the Planning Commission has spent $3,300.

Joe Durm said that Schoolcraft County has a millage that pays for their EDC director, and the county only puts in around $20,000.

James Farero said he had been an EDC director years ago in Sault Ste. Marie and he would like to put the EDC in a “frozen” state and does not believe it needs a director. He said EDCs have been having trouble getting federal grants for several years.

“I think we’re wasting money on it,” he said.

Mr. Durm agreed.

Added Mrs. Nelson: “I don’t see any economic development we can put our finger on.”

Carl Frazier said he could not see anything that has been done to enhance economic development at either the eastern or western end of the county. He said they’ve had about six months to show some progress and he has not seen any.

Larry Leveille said he could not support the EDC, noting that they have cost the county a lot of money.

“If they could come around and show us where they have some projects going, where we can work with them on them, and look at some figures, then I probably would be in favor of the EDC. The only problem I see right now is there is no sense of direction,” he said. “If I was to vote on it today, I’d vote against it.”

Next up was the Planning Commission, which is working on the county’s fact book. The EDC also has been supporting the project. The fact book is needed before the Planning Commission can begin work on a county-wide master plan, a project it has been working toward for a couple of years. Commissioners are leaving $20,000 for completion of the fact book and will consider amending the 2005 budget to $24,000 from the current $86,650.

Commissioners wanted to see more progress from the Planning Commission and acknowledged they are not up-to-date on the group’s projects. They mentioned several municipalities already have master plans in place.

Though not on the agenda, discussion focused on the treasurer’s office. Commissioners decided to ask County Prosecutor Clayton Graham to attend their next meeting so they can find out how to proceed with contacting the State Attorney General regarding treasurer Jane Hampton’s $5,000 disbursement of county funds to herself and a staff member. She did not have board authorization to do so, and has since returned the funds.

Commissioner Joe Durm said he had been advised by an auditor other than the county’s that the board had been remiss. When Mrs. Hampton had come to the board with her attorney, Mr. Durm was told they should have contacted the state treasurer’s office.

“By law we have to do that,” he said.

“Once she admitted she had taken the money, we should have contacted the attorney general’s office,” he added. He said he was advised that the board do it now.

“I strongly support you, Joe, that we have to contact the attorney general,” said Mr. Farero.

“I’ve talked to people on the western end, my constituents, and they all realize that what she did was a breach of the law,” said commissioner Carl Frazier, who suggested they take the matter to the full board and vote on it at their next meeting.

Regarding the special audit of the treasurer’s office, Mr. Durm was told they need to specify the items to be audited. Mrs. Nelson said she is waiting to hear from the Michigan Association of Counties regarding special audit information.

Commissioners will meet Thursday, August 11, at 1:30 p.m. in the commission room at the County Building.