Treasurer Nora Massey has received approval from the Mackinac County Board of Commissioners to hire a deputy and she hopes to do so by the first of the year. The position has been vacant since May, when she was appointed interim treasurer until the November election.

At their Tuesday, December 9 meeting, commissioners said they would pay half the wage (about $15 per hour), with the rest to be paid from the delinquent tax fund.

Ms. Massey, who did not attend the meeting, later told The St. Ignace News she will advertise the position internally and to the public. The primary duty of the deputy treasurer is tax administration.

A temporary tax clerk job held by Patti Becker, established in May, will end this month.

Commissioners will invite the Road Commission and officials from the townships and cities to a meeting to discuss the county road match program. The meeting is set for Monday, December 29, at 6 p.m. on the third floor of the county courthouse in St. Ignace. Under the program, municipalities, the county, and the road board each contribute $10,000 for crushed gravel or other road maintenance.

Commissioners called for the meeting after hearing reports the Road Commission may no longer wish to support the program, however, Road Commission Manager Dirk Heckman told The St. Ignace News Monday, December 15, that he supports the road match program.

"I think it is a good thing, not only for the townships, but also for Mackinac County residents," he said. "It's a great thing for us."

The county budgets $130,000 annually for the program, which includes the 11 townships and two cites. The Road Commission budgets $110,000 annually for the program and does not include the cities of St. Ignace or Mackinac Island.

The county commission next meet Monday, December 29, at 6 p.m. in the county courthouse.