County wages and salaries were set last week by commissioners in one of their most productive meetings of the year. Entangled in a stalemate two weeks ago when they failed to reach a consensus over elected officials’ salaries, commissioners changed their voting tactics during the Thursday, December 14, meeting.

Salaries were voted on individually rather than in groups, resulting in complete accord on all decisions by the five-member board.

County Clerk Mary Kay Tamlyn will receive a requested 4.1 percent increase, with commissioners rounding off her 2007 salary to $46,100. In 2006, her salary was set at $44,278.97.

Commissioners voted no increase for County Treasurer Jane Hampton, who will remain at her 2006 salary of $42,826.56. Mrs. Hampton made no salary request.

Register of Deeds Diane Frankovich received a requested 4.35 percent boost in pay, which was rounded off to $43,621 from $41,800.69.

Sheriff Scott Strait requested a 3.3 percent cost of living increase, which commissioners granted, raising his salary to $50,315 from $48,708.22.

Commissioners agreed to make no change in the prosecutor’s salary of $73,993.62. Circuit Court Judge Charles Stark is scheduled to appoint a new prosecuting attorney when Clayton Graham takes his newly elected seat as the Probate Court judge in January.

County commissioners and road commissioners will receive a two percent raise, with commissioners earning $4,222.80 and the chair receiving $5,049 per year. Those increases were voted on in October 2005.

Pay for meetings will remain the same, at $60 for commissioners, the Canvassing Board, Planning Commission, Economic Development Corporation, Housing Commission, Jury Board, Plat Board, and Road Commission. Also, remaining unchanged is travel compensation at 44.5¢ a mile, $8 for breakfast, $8 for lunch, and $20 for dinner, only when traveling outside the county and on county business.

The Board of Commissioners also reiterated its policy to direct Mrs. Hampton to “deposit all general fund monies, including monies now in, coming in, and in the name of the treasurer, in the First National Bank of St. Ignace, Central Savings Bank, National City Bank, and Edward Jones Investment at the direction of the Mackinac County Board of Commissioners.”

Decisions were made on nonunion employee wages. Questioning the county’s workload for the assistant prosecuting attorney position, held by Fred Feleppa, commissioners agreed to put in the budget a 50 percent reduction in the $47,436 salary, setting it at $23,717. Mr. Feleppa is expected to be appointed prosecutor in January.

Prosecutor Graham told The St. Ignace News he would ask the board to reconsider the assistant’s salary at its December 28 meeting.

Undersheriff Darrell Sadler will get a 3.3 percent raise, changing his salary from $44,270 to $45,731.

Commissioners gave a 50¢ hourly increase to non-union employees, with the exceptions of magistrate Debra Luepnitz, juvenile officer Mark MacDonald, and equalization director Jim Fenlon, who received a 3.3 percent raise. Mr. Fenlon’s salary will increase from $49,668 to $51,307, Mr. MacDonald’s pay will rise to $39,225 from $37,972, and Ms. Luepnitz will receive $38,138, up from $36,920.

Contract modifications reflecting a 3.3 percent pay increase will be offered to Ginger Valentine, who manages the county’s animal shelter. The county’s contract with Mrs. Valentine expires December 31. Mrs. Valentine, who is paid $17,680, had asked for a 27.8 percent increase. A new contract offering $18,263 was agreed to by commissioners. They also noted Mrs. Valentine had been paid in advance, a practice they voted to stop.

During their December 8 meeting, commissioners agreed to offer animal control officer Wendy Frosland a one-year contract at $1,500 per month. She has beenworking under a six-month contract, which was scheduled to end this month. They will consider offering Mrs. Frosland a raise in six months after they review animal control revenue and expenses.

A public hearing to adopt the 2007 county budget was set for Thursday, December 28, at 2 p.m. in the commissioners room in the County Courthouse annex building. Until then, the budget is available for public viewing in the clerk’s office in the Courthouse. Commissioners plan to ratify the document following the public hearing.