Sheriff's Office Ceiling Repair, Deputy Benefits Are Addressed

The Mackinac County Board of Commissioners will hire Jim Musick of St. Ignace to replace ceiling tiles with drywall at the Sheriff's Department for $4,757. Mr. Musick's bid, which was accepted at the commission's meeting Thursday, June 25, was the lowest of five bids received, which ranged to $20,000. The second lowest was $6,535.

His contract will be contingent on proof of liability insurance, worker compensation documentation, and references. Work is expected to begin after July 4, and finish by the end of the month.

The project will including replacing the ceiling tiles with drywall in five rooms of the sheriff office administrative area. Services in the building will not be interrupted during the repairs, Mackinac County Sheriff Scott Strait told commissioners.

In another Sheriff's Department matter, commissioners will work with Bois Blanc Township to determine who is responsible for unemployment benefits for Sheriff Deputy Graham Whipple, who provides police coverage for the island 10 months out of the year.

Mr. Whipple has been the deputy on the island for 14 years, but has not drawn unemployment until last year. Sheriff Strait told commissioners that there is confusion as to who should pay the benefits and asked that Mr. Whipple's contract be reviewed to determine whether the township or county should cover it.

Bois Blanc Township paid last year, he noted.

Unemployment benefits are not outlined in the contract, the sheriff said, nor are other benefits, such as sick time, vacation time, and personal days.

Commissioners agreed the deputy should receive the same sick time and personal days as any county employee, but want to study vacation time further and have agreed to meet with Bois Blanc Township Treasurer Cheryl Gahn to work on the details, Mackinac County Commissioner Calvin McPhee said.